From the Dust
by zestycrouton
Summary: The long-awaited sequel to Hit List. A year has passed since the Ordon High Massacre, and what was meant as a harmless class trip results in a horrifying struggle for the fate of mankind and the secrets kept so long in the dark. "History cries, as one from the dust, raising a silent voice of warning... There is much we could learn, if we would but listen." AU
1. Adventure Time!

_I live!_

_What, is this it? Is this the story y'all have been waiting so long for that you've forgotten you were even waiting for something? Yes! Yes it is! This is it, lads and lassies, the long-long-long-awaited sequel to Hit List... but more details to come. For now, enjoy._

* * *

"Alright boys, let's go over this one last time: you've confirmed with the bus agency for tomorrow afternoon?"

"Check."

"All of the students who've turned in permission slips have had them signed by parents and paid the fee in full?"

"Double-check."

"You made sure they repeated the time of departure on this afternoon's announcements so that nobody forgets?"

"Triple-check… Wait, weren't you listening to the announcements? Shouldn't you know that yourself?"

Mr. Auru flashed Sheik a grin and continued. "Have you confirmed our reservations with the Stock Pot Inn in Castleton?"

"Yes." Link answered, as Sheik was too busy shaking his head in mock-disapproval at their teacher, who was still starting to grin like a madman.

"And lastly, have you made sure you visited all the volunteer chaperones and made sure they haven't had any last-minute changes of plan?"

"Yeah… We divided them between us and tackled that during lunch. Me and Zelda visited Mr. Alfonzo, Professor Ezlo, and Coach… I mean, Vice-Principal Nabooru. And Sheik and Midna tackled the others."

"Well, Sheik?"

Link's best friend rolled his blood-red irises in faux-impatience. "Yeah yeah, Miss Astrid's on board, and so is Syrup. We didn't bother visiting you, because we figured you were in, but seeing as you didn't even listen to the announcements like a good teacher…"

"I was a little occupied." Auru shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, telling me off for not paying attention to the announcements!" Sheik said incredulously.

"Exactly. I couldn't pay attention because I was too busy getting you to pay attention!"

"Anyway," Link cut in hastily, drawing attention back to the matter at hand; school was out and he was hungry, Din blast it! He didn't have time for their shenanigans, he wanted to get home! "I think we've got it all covered. Unless there's anything I'm forgetting…?"

"No, I think you're right, Link my boy." Auru replied, shuffling absently through the stacks of papers on his desk. "You two can head on out now. My goodness…" Auru screwed up his face grotesquely as he twisted his arms behind his back and stretched, groaning loudly. Several loud pops were heard before he slumped forward again with a relieved sigh; Sheik nodded approvingly.

"Link, this fieldtrip idea of yours was a great idea; you kids'll have fun, learn a lot, and be able to get away from... well, the nastier bit of the weekend. Hopefully. That's our goal, at least. But by Nayru, it was a lot of work to put together… I'm grateful you and your friends were able to help me out, or I don't think we would've done it."

"It's no big deal, Mr. Auru." Link said, rising from his seated position at the desk in front of Auru's and slinging his backpack over one shoulder, Sheik doing the same at his left. "I'm just glad we could help. See you tomorrow."

"The bus leaves at 1 pm sharp! Don't be late!"

"Yeah yeah." Sheik said, waving Auru off impatiently. "We're the ones who scheduled the bus, we know when it leaves."

"Which means you'll look even stupider for missing it." Auru replied flatly.

"Hey!" Sheik retorted hotly, "When am I ever late to anything?!"

"Um… to class? Every day?" Link answered.

"Oh."

"Later, Mr. Auru!"

"Yeah, see ya!"

"Until tomorrow!" he called back, grinning, and Link and Sheik exited the World History classroom, and began heading down the hall.

The two best friends followed the familiar curve of Ordon High's second floor, heading toward the stairwell by the band room that lead out towards the parking lot, occasionally exchanging idle banter. The lockers still bore the look of fresh paint despite the year since the refurbishment, and the tiled floor, though dirtier, also retained that 'new school look'; Link was sure it had something to do with the fact that the janitor who'd replaced Linebeck after he'd quit was much more competent at his job than his portly counterpart had been.

The fact of the matter was, the school had changed a great deal since the nightmare that had occurred the year before. New paint, new lockers, new flooring, almost an entirely new staff, and surprisingly, a flood of new students… even the atmosphere was different. Where before, the school had been rife with cliques and cast systems that resembled bad '80's movies, the new Ordon High was incredibly open and friendly; not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but a remarkable step forward from where they'd been before the shooting.

After Link had given his speech at the memorial service, he'd known he'd have a lot of work to do to live up to all the bull he'd pulled out of nowhere during his oration, and he'd gotten to work immediately, but he knew that all of his efforts would have been for naught had it not been for his friends. In an effort to branch out, Link had joined the Lacrosse team, as well as the Baseball team, though he was far from the MVP in either sport. Zelda, to nobody's surprise, had joined the student council and was now Senior Class President. Sheik, to everybody's surprise, joined the swim team. Midna… well, she was still Midna, but she at least stopped shooting death glares to the underclassmen, which was a miracle in and of itself. Throwing off the tired shackles of a broken, oppressive teenage society is difficult, to be sure, but Link and his friends had taken the job to heart and had tried their best, leading through example, to improve their flawed but now beloved Ordon High.

Thankfully, they had help. It's fascinating how nightmares can spawn total changes of heart in certain people. For example, Darunia and Ruto, the captain of the football team and lead cheerleader, were major factors in the positive changes that they'd seen over the past year, despite being perpetrators in the initial problems. Darunia still had a smothering personality, and Ruto could still try the patience off a stone, yet the two seemed to tag-team social issues with a zeal and fervor that astounded those who knew the old them, and were paragon defenders of the lonely or left out. Link had been hesitant at first, having been victim to a few of Darunia and Ruto's past mockeries, but had changed his mind about the dynamic duo shortly after the school year started; at the start of the football season, Link and co had been invited to a private memorial service held by Ordon's football team in memory of those who couldn't play with them that year. Link had been touched my Darunia's sincerity as he begged his new team to honor Link's plea at his speech at the end of the last school year and become the backbone for their new student body. Ever since then, Link had considered them friends, and had often been invited to their parties or hang-outs, attending with Zelda when he could.

There were a few other minor changes. The school hired a new councilor, and the entire county had opted for electing a school psychologist whom the students could visit during or after school just to talk for when they needed some private time. Principal Oshus and Vice-Principal Nabooru were quick to crack down on bullying, and with Nabooru's famous iron-will, it was quickly learned that she was not to be crossed.

But this biggest change of all was simply in the demeanor of the students. Even in his most optimistic moments, Link had never hoped for the school to progress as far as it had. They were simply… happier as a student body. They laughed more. They participated in school events. When it was pep rally or spirit time, they went all out, and the competing school at sporting events was drowned out in a wave of Ordon pride. The credit for that didn't go to any particular individual either, but to the students as a whole. They'd been changed by the Ordon High Massacre, forever. They'd learned they had to look on the bright side, seize every opportunity and treat others the best that they could, because who knew when the last time you'd see your best friend was?

In spite of all the good, there was still a sort of gloom that lingered underneath, the kind of pallid shadow that would likely take years to cast off. Certain students still avoided certain sections of the school. Aryll refused to enter dark rooms, particularly closets, and there were certain nights when Link would awake in the dark to the sound of her sobbing in the next room. Worst of all, fourteen students had been sent home in uncontrollable hysterics after the first fire drill of the year resulted in mass panic, and the school had had to begin announcing beforehand when they'd be performing the drills on that particular day.

Link and Sheik reached the ground floor and exited the doorway, heading to the student parking lot, which was virtually empty by now. Passing the memorial garden, they headed off down the sidewalk, still lost in nonsensical conversation as was normal, and began their trek home. It was the beginning of April, and spring was well on its way, making the would-be chilling breeze less-than threatening. Link had foregone his normal oversized hoodie and walked down the street in a simple blue T-shirt and khaki cargos. Sheik still sported the ripped skinny-jeans look, and had one of those short sleeve shirts that was purple, with white striped longer sleeves that came out from underneath. He was sure that there was a name for that kinda shirt, but he had no idea what it was, and cared even less.

Link supposed he was lucky they lived just a few blocks down the road from the school building, about a fifteen minute walk. His less-than-faithful truck, Epona, had finally kicked the bucket. He'd been driving the long way to school after picking up Zelda from her father's house in their fancy gated community, when on an uphill climb about to turn left at an intersection his engine had died and they'd begun to roll backwards. He'd screamed, she'd screamed, the students on the bus behind them screamed, and Link managed to slam on breaks. He'd gotten the engine started again, but it had seized mid-turn, and he was left in the median with a smoking hood to deal with the brunt of his girlfriend's flat looks and the mocking laughter of the kids on the bus as it passed.

He hadn't gotten a new car yet, but it wasn't so bad. When he ever needed a ride, he'd call Zelda, whose father had replaced her late-mother's ruined car after the shooting without so much as a scolding remark, so grateful he'd been that she was ok. He could also call Midna, who had access to her mother's mini-van, but he preferred the Zelda option, for more reasons than one.

As the two teens arrived at an intersection, Link stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and turned to Sheik, who was finishing his rant.

"…was it. I mean really, so much wasted potential. I don't understand why Midna likes .Hack/ so much. I felt like I lost hours of my life that could have been spent on Fullmetal Alchemist."

"You working today?" Link asked, changing the subject; they'd already had this conversation before, no need to rehash it. Obviously Fullmetal Alchemist beat out any other animated TV show on the face of the planet. That wasn't even in question. Midna was just in denial.

Sheik sighed, seeming to deflate a bit. "Yeah, I gotta head straight over to the pet shop. No time to even grab a snack. Madam Mamamu Yan can be a bit of a stickler."

Link smirked. Complain as he might, Link knew that Sheik loved his job. He was a closet puppy lover and thought nobody knew. Everyone did. Midna had pictures.

"Granny'll be irritated. She thinks they work you too much. She probably made us dinner already, and now I'll have to eat it all by myself."

"You're going to save me some if you know what's good for you. It's too early for dinner anyway." Sheik grumbled, and Link gave a light chuckle. Glancing impatiently across the intersection, he checked the little black box that showed whether it was safe to walk. The stick figure was still red. He frowned; stupid intersections and their wait times with no respect to the common pedestrian… There was a girl at the opposite side who was also waiting while she read something on a sheet of paper in her hand. See? Yet another innocent person, inconvenienced… probably starving to death like he was. Curse traffic laws and all those who obey them!

"Dude, what's with that face?" Sheik laughed, finally catching on.

"I'm hungry!" Link blurted out, throwing his hands into the air in frustration. "I mean, come on! We miss the light at this intersection every time! You'd think they'd wizen up and build one of those walkways over the street to help all the poor, helpless feet-bound highschoolers who are dying of malnourishment after a long and grueling day at school! What else is our tax money good for?!"

"Um… You don't pay taxes. You don't even have a job."

"Irrelevant. My rant is still valid."

"I worry for your sanity when you're hungry."

The cars passing on the road began to slow to a stop and the stick figure flashed green.

"Oh look, it seems the cosmos heard your whining and deigned to pity you."

"Shut up." Link grunted, adjusting his backpack and stepping out onto the asphalt, his best friend following suit with a grin.

As they passed the girl, nose still buried in her papers, Link noted Sheik's gaze trailing after her.

"Midna would kill you if she could see you right now." He commented lightly.

"Just because I'm dating someone doesn't mean I'm blind." He shot back cheekily. "Besides, you can bet she ogles every attractive man she sees. And it's not my fault I have a weakness for redheads."

"Something tells me she doesn't share your viewpoints."

"When do women ever share our viewpoints?"

"When do women's viewpoints matter?"

Sheik let out a snort of laughter, making Link's grin widen, but his best friend's response was lost as Link turned his attention back over his shoulder. He wasn't sure what made him do it; maybe it was the sound of rustling papers as the wind blew them out of the girl's hands. Maybe it was the crunch of gravel as she crouched down, desperately trying to gather them up before they all blew away. Regardless of the motives, at the moment that Link turned his head, he saw a fire red sports car flying down the street, swerving drunkenly in both lanes, heedless of the girl crouched down in its path.

"Dude, imagine if-"

Link turned on the spot and dropped his backpack, sprinting backward as fast as he could. There wasn't time to consider a better course of action; the car was a second away from hitting her, and the girl had only just now noticed the car, too late to do more than throw up her arms and begin to scream. Link did the only thing that crossed his mind; taking a page from Darunia's book, he threw himself forward and slammed his body into the girl, and the two of them crashed to the side. His body hit the pavement as the car shot past, its horn blaring, and he rolled a few feet away, pain flashing through his body.

When the world stopped spinning he let out a pathetic moan and pushed himself into a sitting position, one hand on his head which hurt because his brain had been rattled fairly harshly. His elbow was throbbing from where he'd initially hit the ground, and his knees weren't much better. His breathing was ragged, and his heart was racing almost as fast as the idiot who'd nearly made him into a pancake. It wasn't until he realized he wasn't dead that the thought occurred to him, 'what in the name of Din were you thinking?!'

Casting his eyes about him quickly to make sure there weren't any more renegade cars coming, Link turned his attention to the girl who was still laying on the road a few feet away. Suddenly worried she might have been hurt in the fall, Link clambered hastily to his feet and hurried to her side. She was lying on her back staring wide-eyed at the sky, a traumatized look on her face.

Kneeling beside her and worried about brain damage, he gently nudged her shoulder and murmured, "Hey, are you alright?"

The girl, whose long scarlet hair was now wildly mussed, took a sudden, shuddering breath and squeezed her wide, sea-green eyes shut. After a moment she blinked her eyes back open and stared up at Link in confusion.

"What… what happened?"

"Car ran the light. Almost ran you over. I pushed you outta the way."

"You saved me?" She asked softly, her voice taking on a wondrous quality, and Link gave an uncomfortable shrug.

"I guess so. You ok?"

He held out a hand, and she grasped it, letting him pull her to her feet. As she hurriedly adjusted her sundress, Link got a better look at her. She was a startlingly pretty girl, if truth be told, with a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and a surprisingly cute, dimpled smile which she flashed at him shyly, staring up at Link through her long lashes. Her dress was a little dirty from the fall, and slightly torn at the hem.

"So, um… thanks. For saving me, I mean. That was really cool."

"It was nothing, really."

She giggled. "Heroically saving a girl from certain death is nothing?"

"Yeah, Link's kinda got a 'saving people' thing. Don't worry about it, this is just another day at the park for him." Came Sheik's dull voice as he joined them with the girl's scattered papers gathered in his hand.

"Is this sheet music?" He asked as she gratefully took them back and began shuffling them back into order.

"Yeah! I'm a bit of a music officiando, actually. I'm in the choir."

"Oh yeah? I don't think I've seen you before today."

"I'm actually new here…. Today's my first day." She sighed despondently, puffing out her lower lip. "First day and I nearly die. Worst first day of school ever."

_If you only knew_, Link thought darkly.

"So what's your name?" he asked instead, casting off the negative memories.

"Um guys, maybe we should get out of the road…?" Sheik suggested, and Link and the redhead both turned around to see a line of cars waiting impatiently for them to get out of the way.

"Oh."

"Whoops!"

Giggling, the girl skipped ahead of the two boys as they relocated hurriedly to the sidewalk on the side of the road where Link and Sheik had initially started out. Link noted that with a dark scowl and his stomach rumbled again. Looks like food still wasn't on the menu.

"So…" the girl drawled, twirling around and grinning at them both. "I'm Marin! What are your names?"

"Sheik Shadow."

"I'm Link."

The bright, friendly smile slid off her face, replaced by a look of sheer awe. "Y-you're Link? Like, THE Link? Link Hero?"

Link scratched the back of his head absently. "I dunno if my name deserves a 'The' in front of it, but yeah, I'm Link."

"Oh… my… Farore…" she breathed, and Link sighed internally.

"Here we go..." Sheik muttered.

"Like, I can't believe it! I got saved by Link Hero! Din, this is awesome! It's like I actually fit in here now! Did you really do all that stuff everyone says you did last year? That's so cool! I mean, no, it's awful, but it's so amazing how you saved everyone! Din, you really are a hero! Ah, Nayru, this is so exciting!"

"Um…?"

"Yeah, he's definitely something, isn't he?" Sheik deadpanned.

The girl, Marin, was a little breathless, and it was sort of freaking Link out. Sure, he'd been a little Hero worshipped ever since the event, but it had dulled down a lot since the school year started, and he had never been comfortable with it. Zelda likes to say that he's got a problem accepting praise, but even she would agree this was a bit much.

"So… anyway, you sure you're ok?"

"What? Oh! Oh yeah, I'm fine! Just a little scratched up but nothing bad. Thank you so much for saving me, that was super cool! Um, so…. I guess I'll see you guys at school?"

"Sure." Link replied with a warm smile; it seemed like the conversation was drawing to a close, and that meant food would come sooner.

"Yeah… so, you guys going on the field trip tomorrow?" Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was biting her lip and swaying on the spot with her arms hooked behind her back, her eyes glued to Link's.

"Yeah, we sorta helped plan it… wait, are you going too? I thought you said today was your first day, how does that work?"

"Before I moved, I was chosen to sing 'The Ballad of the Wind Fish' in honor of the Hero of Time celebration with the Hyrulian National Symphony Orchestra, but then my dad got a new job here in Ordon. We thought I wouldn't be able to go, but my dad contacted the school and Principal Oshus told us about the field trip. I guess somebody dropped out and I'm taking their place? I don't really know myself, I guess Mr. Aur-whatever is taking care of it. I'm actually really excited; I love the Hero of Time, it's my favorite legend. So you guys are going?"

"Yup."

"Oh, that's so cool! I'll actually know some people!" She gushed.

"Right…. Well hey, I need to get to work now, so we need to go…" Sheik cut in a little pointedly, and Link was secretly grateful; the girl seemed nice and all, but seriously; nourishment.

"Oh, ok! That's totally fine! Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Sure thing."

"Ok! So, um… bye!"

"Uh-huh."

"Later."

The girl waved ecstatically before turning on the spot and bouncing off down the street, humming something under her breath, leaving Link and Sheik once again waiting for the light.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…She seems nice."

"Mmm."

"…"

"You really have a thing for saving the pretty new girl, don't you?"

"Shut up."

"…"

"…"

"Oh hey, the light's green."

"Yesss…"

The rest of the walk was uneventful; Sheik peeled off a few streets later, and Link continued the walk to the house alone. Unbidden, his thoughts wandered in direction of the anniversary that was coming up in just two day's time. This coming Friday was the one-year anniversary of the Ordon High Massacre. In respect of the fears of students and parents, and in order to dissuade the sadly possible copy-cat attacks, the school had decided to close on that particular day, and to have a half-day on Thursday. Link was all for an extra day off school; he just wished the reasoning didn't have to be so dark.

As it turns out, this weekend was also another anniversary; the Hero of Time celebration's tricentennial anniversary, to be exact. The holiday wasn't anything super-special, at least not here in Ordon, but being the three-hundredth anniversary was exciting for just about anything, even a historical figure, and the Museum of National History up in Castleton had decided to go all-out.

They'd redesigned the museum in honor of the Hero of Time; entire rooms and wings of the building dedicated to aspects of the various legends, and would be holding a festival in honor of the Hero this weekend. When Link had heard about it, he was naturally intrigued; how could he not be, it was a festival dedicated to himself.

Ever since discovering last year that he was the current reincarnation of the legendary Hero of Time, Link had discovered that life was literally no different. Sure, he had weird dreams sometimes from past lives that he could scarcely remember, and he had a bizarre mark on his hand, and there was the whole Ganondorf thing last year, but aside from that, he was your average teenage guy. It was a little disappointing, truth be told. He could handle the lack of heart-stopping terror and reckless self-endangerment that he knew came with being the Hero, but why couldn't he have a few cool perks? Like well-toned muscles, or supernatural good-looks, or… something fairytale heroes were known for. Fair, he was more in shape now since joining a few sports, but deep down he was still the same lazy Link he'd always been. He wondered sometimes if any of those old depictions of the Hero were even true.

Which was another reason for why he'd wanted to go to Castleton so badly. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but nobody had the answers. Zelda had mentioned how she'd heard the voice of Nayru a few times during the shooting, but Link had never heard the voice of Farore, or anybody, guiding him. Maybe the Goddesses were sexist? Or maybe it didn't matter anymore because their job was done and the world was safe? That last thought kept him up at night sometimes, though he couldn't say for sure why.

Link and Zelda had taken to hiding the Triforce marks on the backs of their hands. Not from embarrassment, but rather to avoid running into anybody who understood their significance and asking too many questions. Zelda had tried to use makeup at first, but it kept rubbing off, so the two of them had taken to making a rather bizarre fashion statement; they both wore a single fingerless glove, Link on his left-hand and Zelda on her right. If it weren't for their popularity and for the fact that the students at Ordon High were walking on eggshells when it came to teasing others, they might have received a number of weird comments from their peers, but most people seemed to think it was in honor of whatever had gone down between them and Ganondorf in the Principal's office that day. There were whispers that their hands were horribly scarred, or that they covered the hands that had failed to hold on to each other when Link had slipped through Zelda's fingers and fallen from the window. That last one was probably perpetrated by Ruto, but regardless, the student body basically revered them for it. The faculty might have had a problem, but thankfully Oshus and Nabooru, who had seen the marks themselves, and thought they were tattoos do to some unbelievably bad lying on Link's part, allowed them to remain covered up without comment. Link only removed the glove if he was alone, and sometimes it kept him up at nights, too. What was he supposed to do with it now? Just live with it until he died, and it passed on to the next Hero?

In any event, knowing that his grandmother would decline taking him up there (she hated museums, for some odd reason), and lacking a job and therefore funds necessary to go himself, Link had had a brilliant idea; get the school to pay for it! He'd pitched the idea to Auru in private, knowing the man was a history buff and hoping that if he spun it not only as a great way to help his students 'learn to love the magic of history', but also as a way to get their minds off of the anniversary of the shooting, he'd have a better chance at succeeding. And succeed he did; it helped that Zelda was on-board instantly. She was every bit as excited as he was to glean some information off their past lives, and what better place to do it? Their friends jumped on the bandwagon not long after, because who doesn't love school fieldtrips to other cities when all your friends are on board? And once it became clear that Link and his friends were going, everyone else wanted to come along, and the trip wound up being a tremendous success. Or it looked to be, at least. They had around sixty kids signed up, which was pretty decent all things considered. Link felt strangely proud of himself. Who knew his harebrained scheming would end so well, and make him look like such a caring, concerned citizen? He definitely deserved a pat on the back.

Finally making it home, Link slipped his key into the lock, swung the door open, kicked off his shoes, and entered the house aiming for the kitchen where he could smell what was undoubtedly his Granny's famous gumbo cooking on the stove. Sure enough, the travel-sized older lady stood before a large silver pot, stirring away with gusto and humming to herself as she did, a trait she and Aryll shared.

"Hey Granny, I'm back." Link said, as per usual, heading to the fridge and sticking his head inside, looking for a snack. He felt a slap against his back and jerked upright, shooting his grandmother an indignant look as she brandished the wooden spoon at him in a threatening manner.

"You get your head out of that fridge, child, before you ruin your supper! Dinner will be ready in a half an hour, you can wait until then!"

"Aw, but Granny…" Link whined, but she'd already turned back to the stove.

"No buts. Go wait in your room until I'm done, I don't need you cluttering up my work space. Good grief, you are a handful. Where is Aryll when I need her, she'd actually be willing to help me…"

"Aryll's not here?"

"She's got track practice, remember?"

"Oh yeah." He never could remember what it was Aryll did with her life. She was always starting something new and it was hard to keep track of sometimes. "So I guess that means more food for me."

"No, you heartless boy, we'll be saving some for her and Sheik, so don't you get any ideas."

Link grinned affectionately and leaned against the wall, staring at his grandmother. "Y'know, if you really need help I can give you a hand."

"You mean if I really want my house burned down? No, I think I'm good. Go finish your homework or something and get out of my hair."

"Yes ma'am!" Link mock saluted and headed towards the hallway.

"You still have that field trip tomorrow?" Granny called just before he left the room.

"Yup. Bus leaves at one o'clock, right as school gets out."

Granny Hero clucked her tongue and shook her head disdainfully. "You kids… Back in my day, a three-day weekend meant going to the beach and having parties with my friends, but you three are going to spend all your free time at a museum learning about history…. Honestly, I don't know where I went wrong with you."

"Well you know me, so dedicated to my studies..."

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and shooed him from the kitchen.

So, no food just yet. His stomach growled rebelliously, but even it knew better than to cross Granny Hero. Trudging to his room, he cast the door open and made to belly-flop dramatically onto his bed.

Problem was, it was already occupied.

"Oh, you're home."

Link blinked. "Hey Zel, Granny didn't mention you were here."

She shrugged, but otherwise didn't comment. She was lying in his bed, propped up against the headrest and using his pillow as a cushion, carefully reading over something on her tablet as she took notes in her spiral-bound notebook, one of those fuzzy pens clasped in her gloved hand. Her hair was the same as it had been a year ago, long and straight and extending to just above her middle-back, in that gold-blonde-brunette-ish color that he so loved. Her amaranth eyes were glued to the screen without emotion, and she sported rainbow socks under her jeans and a canary yellow shirt-thing… what did girls call them? A blouse? He actually didn't know what a blouse was, but that was usually his go-to word for a girl's shirt. Why couldn't they just call them all shirts like guys did? A frilly, yellow shirt-thing. Perfect.

She flicked her gaze up to him when she realized he hadn't moved and quirked an eyebrow.

"You ok?"

"I'm starving." He muttered, deciding not to inform her that he'd really been ruminating on the various quirky eccentricities of female fashion and tossed his backpack across his cluttered room towards Sheik's bed, finally stepping inside.

"Granny should have dinner ready soon." She commented idly as Link collapsed onto his face on the bed beside her.

He gave a short grunt and she began running her fingers through his hair.

"Don't you have any homework?"

He grunted again.

"Link."

"Maybe…"

"Hun, do your homework."

"I don't wanna…"

"You don't want to graduate from high school either?"

"And if I said no?"

"I can't very well date a drop out. Guess we'd have to break up."

"You can't break up with me. Destiny won't let you."

"Watch me."

"You're being cruel… I miss nice Zelda. Where'd she go?"

"There is no nice Zelda. Everything you know is a lie."

"Even the cake?"

"Especially the cake."

They were quiet for a moment, and Link let his eyes drift closed as he drew in the peace of the moment. He loved it when it was like this; just him and Zelda, relaxing and having stupid, meaningless conversation. It almost made all they went through worth it.

"So… hey. Get up. There's something I want to show you."

Link groaned, and Zelda jostled him roughly.

"I don't wanna do my homework…" he whined pathetically, and she shoved him again.

"Well you have to, but it's not about that. Pretty please get up? There's something reeaaaaally important I want to show you, but you need to open your eyes."

"Is there food involved?"

"Um… I have a granola bar?"

"Sold." He answered, immediately righting himself and sitting cross-legged in front of her.

She blinked in surprise. "That was fast."

"Never underestimate my hunger. Now, what is it you wanted to show me?"

An eager grin cracked across her face, excitement twinkling in her eyes, and she adjusted her position so she was mimicking him. "Ok, so, you know that I've been trying to work out how to use magic ever since the shooting, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"And you know that I've never really had any success, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"And you know that I've studied and read and done all the research I could into the old legends but they never tell you anything even remotely useful, right?"

"Zel, can we get to the part with the granola bar?"

"Look!" She squealed excitedly, ignoring Link's desperate plea and, practically bouncing up and down in eagerness, held her hand in front of his face and snapped her fingers.

A swirl of dancing lights appeared above her fingertips and vanished a moment later.

"I finally got something! I don't know what I did, or how I'm doing it, but it works! Is that not the coolest thing you've ever seen?!" Zelda gushed, her face pink with emotion.

"Um, yeah Zel, that's super… weird."

She slapped his arm. "Hey! What is wrong with you! This is the most exciting thing that's happened in my entire life!"

"I mean yeah, it's cool, but… I mean, what's does it do?"

"What does it…? Well… nothing, I guess, but that's not the point! Link, this could be the gateway to bigger discoveries! I mean, imagine what I can do with magic! What if I can cure cancer? What if I can predict earthquakes or stop wars or… The possibilities are endless! How are you not more excited?!"

"…do you think your magic can get me food?"

She stared at him blankly before dropping her arms to her side and rolling her eyes, sighing disappointedly, and reached for her bag. "You are unbelievable."

"Love you too, Zel."

Her cheeks flashed pink, but she didn't comment, holding fast to her angry face.

"You can just be so…" She said as she handed him the granola bar and he plucked it gleefully from her hand, but she trailed off before she finished her sentence, her eyes glued to his arm.

"Oh my… Link, what happened to your arm?!"

"My what?" he asked through a mouth full of granola, but she'd already grabbed his hand and yanked it toward her.

There, on his elbow, was a sinister looking bloody gash. He'd forgotten all about his fall, and his arm throbbed viciously as if to say 'hello, remember me? Apparently not!'

"Oh look."

"Hold on, I've got something, just tell me what happened!"

As she began digging through her bag again and pulling out random odds and ends, Link crammed the other half of the granola bar into his mouth and began his explanation.

"Well… there was… this girl… and a car…. Ran the light… football tackle… hurt my arm… totally forgot… OW!"

"Stop being a wuss." She muttered, carefully wiping at his gash with a Kleenex covered in hand-sanitizer. "Did you say you forgot about this? How?! It's still bleeding! _And_ there's bits of gravel stuck in it!"

"Um… I dunno? Ow! Hey, be gentle!"

"Gosh, you are such a baby…" Biting her lip, she tried again, this time with less force. "What happened with a girl and a car? I didn't understand."

"She almost got ran over and I had to tackle her out of the way." He replied nonchalantly, still cringing over the stinging on his arm. Honestly, it hurt worse now than it did before she started…

Zelda stopped wiping and looked up at him in surprise. "You saved some girl's life?"

"Um… yeah?" He scratched at the back of his head uncomfortably.

There was a pause, and then she returned to treating his arm with a small smile on her face.

"Of course you did… Who was the girl?"

"Some new kid named Marin. It was her first day. Oh, get this; she says she's coming with us on the trip tomorrow."

"Really? So… some new girl gets you hurt on her first day at school and you save her life. Should I be jealous?" She sent him a playful look to show she was kidding.

"Nah, she doesn't carry granola bars on her person. We'd never hit it off."

She laughed as she peeled the paper off a Band-Aid and carefully placed it on his arm.

"Well, that's a relief, I must say. And you are all done!"

She leaned forward and pecked him briefly on the lips.

"Thanks, Princess."

"What would you do without me, Hero?"

"Die, apparently."

Granny peeked her head around the corner of the door. "Hey, Zelda. Dinner's ready, so you can tell that pathetic grandson of mine that he can stop whining now."

"Hey!"

"Will do, Granny! We'll be there in a sec!"

"So, carry me to the table?" Zelda asked sweetly once Granny had retreated down the hall.

Link rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the smile on his face. "Din, you're high maintenance. Remind me again why I love you?"

Her cheeks flared red again, but she scooted forward and slid her arms around his neck once he'd turned himself around. "Masochism, I'm sure."

He laughed and hoisted her into the air, and the two headed down the hall to join Granny Hero.

* * *

"I mean, honestly. She's got some kind of nerve."

"Uh-huh…"

"Just sitting up there, smiling all prettily, flirting like there's no tomorrow."

"Yup…"

"She's practically drooling all over him! Zelly, how can you stand it?"

"You bet…"

"…Zelda, are you even listening to me?"

"You're right…"

The next thing Zelda knew, a petit hand entered her line of vision and snatched her book away from her.

"Wha- Hey! Midna, what are you doing?! I need to finish that book, I have a report due on it next week!"

If there was anything Midna Twilight could be said to be gifted at, it was crafting looks of disdain.

"Zelda, do you not even care that some trollop is schmoosing your man?"

"Trollop? Schmoosing? Really, Midna, was that necessary? She seems like a nice girl, and you know Link just has a helping people thing. He's just trying to make her feel welcome. Besides, he's totally oblivious."

As she said this, Zelda cast her eyes up towards the front of the Greyhound bus where the subject of the conversation, Link, was currently sitting with the new girl Marin. It was true, Marin was being bubbly and flirting for all she was worth, but from what she could tell, Link wasn't reacting to any of it. She wasn't overly concerned; it's not like they were alone together. Sheik was sitting beside Link, and Marin was with two other kids who Zelda knew were in the orchestra. Medli Wings and Makar something-or-other. She wasn't in any danger of 'losing her man', or whatever Midna wanted to call it, and she trusted Link besides.

"That's where it starts, Zel." Midna said in a lecturing tone. "And then before you know it, they're hanging out together, going to see movies, talking on the phone late at night, and then WAM!" She punctuated her sentence by suddenly punching the seat in front of her. "...You've been replaced by the ginger airhead wonder."

Zelda sent Midna an exasperated look. "Seriously, Midna? Seriously? And what about your boyfriend? Not a comment about him sitting over there?"

Midna shrugged nonchalantly, the orange highlights in her raven hair bouncing playfully. "Oh please, who in their right mind would flirt with Sheik? He's such an emo."

Zelda rolled her eyes and snatched her book back, flipping back to the page she was on and settling back in her seat, hoping the din of dozens of loud conversations on the bus around them would drown out the rest of Midna's words.

They didn't.

"I hear he saved her life yesterday."

"Yup. "

"That doesn't concern you at all?"

"Link's saved lots of people's lives. Am I supposed to wish that he'd let her die?"

Midna huffed. "Well. If you're not going to go take tabs on your boo, I'll do it for you. That's what best friends are for."

"Don't forget exaggerated conspiracy theories and preventing you from doing your homework…"

"By the way," Midna added after she'd stood and adjusted her shorts and lime-green Syrup and Maple shirt, "Heathcliff dies, Hareton and Catherine inherit Wuthering Heights and that Thrushcross place and get married, and the whole story is a boring, stupid waste of time. So ha. Suck it."

Zelda kept her eyes clenched tightly closed and breathed slowly through her nose until Midna had walked away. Curse Mrs. Twilight at her stupid book club… Not that she was overly invested in the story, but still. She didn't like it when people ruined the ending.

Sighing, Zelda maneuvered herself so she was leaning up against the window and was about to prop her legs up on the vacant seat beside her and continue reading when suddenly, it became occupied once again.

"Hey Zelda." Colin said morosely, gazing blankly ahead of him at the bad '70's pattern on the back of the seat.

"Colin." Zelda replied curtly. She didn't want to be mean, but she wasn't in the mood for conversation, she really needed to get her book read. But after a moment's pause and a handful of wistful sighs from Colin, she gave in and gave the pathetic boy her attention.

"What's wrong now?"

"The same thing that's always wrong." He replied bitterly.

"Aryll?"

"Yup."

"What's she said this time?"

"Nothing. You know she won't talk to me. It's just… It's Ralph."

"Ralph?"

"Yeah. He's decided Aryll's the girl of his dreams or something and has decided to begin 'courting' her, or whatever he calls it."

"Ralph is… 'courting' Aryll? Aryll Hero? Oh Farore, you've got to be kidding me."

"He calls it his 'Romance Quest'."

"Oh Din…"

"…"

She couldn't help but notice how defeated he looked. Every time she saw Colin, she found herself flashing back to the boy she'd first met during the shooting. His eyes weren't sunken in anymore, and he looked neatly dressed, as usual, in slacks and an off-white polo, but the hollowness to his eyes had never quite dissipated. She'd heard the whole story from him, Midna, and Link; of Colin's so-called betrayal, Ganondorf revealing the 'truth' in front of Aryll, their confrontation in Ezlo's classroom, and finally Colin asking to be arrested. He'd even gone to Link to beg forgiveness, and was promptly told off by Link for being an idiot, but the boy still hadn't gotten over it. The full story of what went down involving Colin miraculously never got out to the general public, and the only ones who knew anything were in Link's personal circle. The only people who still held a grudge against Colin were Colin himself and Aryll… And Malon, though that was more of the obligatory best friend thing.

Common sense would be to tell Colin to get over her, but Zelda wondered how much of his grief was because of their breakup, as opposed to the 'why' of their breakup. Zelda liked Aryll, she was a sweet girl… but the situation between her and Colin was ridiculous at best. Somebody needed to slap some sense into them, but she didn't think she was the one who should do it.

"How is Aryll dealing with it?"

"See for yourself." He muttered and gestured ahead of him. Confused, Zelda sat up and peered over the seat tops again in the direction of the front of the bus. She could see Midna sitting on Sheik's lap, laughing with Link, seemingly succeeding in her goal of distracting him from Marin, who for her part seemed totally enthralled in a conversation she was having with Mr. Alfonso, the wood shop teacher. Darunia and Ruto weren't too far behind them, ardently making out and utterly oblivious to the world around them. Across the narrow hall and a few seats back sat Aryll and her group of friends, near the middle-back part of the bus. And standing in the aisle, leaning against the overhead shelving unit in his odd blue jacket with flaring sleeves and fades black jeans, stood _the _Ralph Ambi.

"What are they saying…?" Zelda muttered, leaning forward and straining her ears to catch the sounds of their conversation. It was difficult over all the babble, but she was pretty sure the conversation was going something like this:

"Aryll, my sweet, you mustn't be shy. Go on, you may ask me out if you wish."

"Alright. Get out."

"Don't be so quick to decline! You haven't even considered what an incredibly devoted boyfriend I would be! I would give myself to you completely!"

Malon looked disgusted. Aryll, again, was on top of things. "Sorry, I don't accept cheap gifts."

"I would go to the very ends of the world for you!"

"And yet you wouldn't stay there… What a shame."

"Aryll, what must I do to win your affection?"

"For starters, you should probably stop with the lame pick up lines. I'm pretty sure you just stole from Google. I mean, really. Those lines were old in the nineties. You need to get your head in the game."

"Aha!" Ralph cried out triumphantly, pointing his finger dashingly into the air. "Then you mean I must seek out wittier and more charming manners of introduction before returning to woo you once more! Fear not, my sweet, I shall return better prepared to conquer your heart!"

And with that, Ralph turned and began making his way down the aisle back towards where he'd presumably been sitting, leaving a stymied Aryll in his wake.

After a few steps, Malon poked her head up over the seat and yelled, "That jacket makes you look like a rapist!"

The bus was flooded with scandalized laughter, and Vice-Principal Nabooru turned from where she was sitting to fire the girl a cursory warning glare. Malon quickly ducked back down again.

Smiling ruefully, Zelda turned back to Colin and said, bracingly, "I really don't think you have anything to worry about there, Colin."

"That's not the point." He replied, exasperated. "I get that literally no female in the entire student body can take Ralph seriously when it comes to romance, but seeing Ralph go at it just sort of reinforces the fact that she's… available, you know? I guess I just feel like I'm losing her all over again."

Zelda sighed. After the shooting and their breakup, Zelda and Link had tried to include Colin into as many of their group hangouts as possible, but it became difficult when Aryll flat out refused to show if she knew Colin would be there, and after a few public fights, they'd stopped trying to force it. Colin, it would seem, had come to view Zelda as a sort of councilor and would come to her for advice whenever he was feeling particularly down. She didn't really mind; he wasn't her only friend who did so nowadays, ever since the Triforce incident. The only problem was, sometimes, even when she knew the answer, she didn't know how to deliver it without offending the person or making the situation worse. Sometimes, people just weren't ready.

Now was one of those times.

"Colin…" Zelda began, picking her words carefully, "You think that maybe it's time that you accept the fact that you lost her and move on?"

That wasn't exactly what she'd been meaning to say, but it was a nudge in the right direction. Colin, however, met her words with a hollow, crushed look, and she sighed again. Clearly, he still wasn't ready.

At that moment, another figure chose to appear in the aisle directly beside their seat. He was a tall, broad-shouldered boy with a large nose and a ridiculous hairstyle, with a cheesy grin that made her queasy in all the not-pleasant ways. He also always wore rugby jerseys that were entirely too small for him, as if in an effort to make him look more muscular. His name was Groose, one of the new students who'd transferred to Ordon High at the start of the school year. And he had a crush on Zelda.

"Hey there, Zel." He began, smiling in what he thought was an attractive way. "This guy botherin' you?"

Zelda took another slow, deep breath. She really should have brought some pain killers on this bus ride. These constant interruptions were seriously beginning to irritate her, she had barely gotten any reading done, and now she had to deal with her biggest headache of all.

"Hello, Groose." She replied in a strained voice. "No, Colin is my friend, he never bothers me. You, however…"

She added that last bit as a mumbled afterthought.

"Heh. That's good to hear. So anyways, I was thinkin'… The trip from Ordon to Castleton bein' eight hours an' all, and with another six hours to go, you and I could maybe get to know each other a little bit more."

Zelda felt the revulsion wash over her but tried her best to keep it off her face. Groose was the captain of the rugby team; which is to say, he had an ego the same size as Darunia's, with a fourth of the popularity. He also didn't come across as being very bright, which was odd, because she was told he was a genius in woodshop and physics class, though you would never hear that from his mouth. He was also one of the few students who didn't take the strict 'No Bullying' policy at Ordon High to heart, probably because he hadn't been involved in the Massacre the year before, having lived somewhere in the north.

Still, just because he was unpleasant didn't mean she had to be unpleasant to him… though it was a strain sometimes.

"No, Groose, that's ok. As you can see, I already have company, and we're sort of in the middle of a conversation, so if you could just…?"

"Ah, come on now Zelda, don't be like that. You can't just shoot a guy down without givin' him a chance!" He delivered, as though pre-rehearsed, with his cheesiest grin yet. His goons Cawlin and Stritch, whom she'd just noticed standing behind him, nodded at each other as if in congratulations. Had they planned that out together…?

To her surprise, Colin spoke up. "Groose, I think the lady just told you no. It would probably be better for you to back off now before she has grounds to file a harassment complaint. And anyway, you know full well that Zelda's dating Link, so you might as well stop trying."

Groose's face grew dark as he turned his attention to Colin.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion, pipsqueak."

"Hey!" Zelda snapped, losing her patience and jabbing her finger at his face. "_Don't_ talk to my _friend_ like that!"

Groose's head snapped up, looking confused and chastised, and just as Zelda was gearing herself up for a shouting match, a calm, controlled voice cut in from somewhere behind Groose and his goonies.

"Um… is there a problem here?"

All five sets of eyes turned their attention to the newcomer. Zelda felt a relieved smile split across her face; it was Link, looking about as confused as ever as he took in the five faces one by one.

"No, Link, everything's fine, Groose just came to ask me a question. He was just leaving." She said the last line a bit forcefully, and Groose, catching on, scowled at Link and Colin before jerking his head and stalking off back down the aisle towards the back of the bus.

Colin shot Link a grateful look and immediately hopped to his feet, offering her boyfriend his seat, which he took with a thanks, and Colin headed off towards the front of the bus to sit by Sheik and Midna.

"Everything ok?" Link asked, looking at Zelda quizzically. "You look stressed."

With an unattractive growl, Zelda let her head flop down on Link's shoulder for a moment and said, after taking a deep breath, "Why does life have to be so complicated?"

"I dunno, Avril, why don't you tell me?" he replied, reaching into the front pouch of the seat before him and removing his iPod and a package of Gardettos.

"It's just… first Midna was bugging me, then Colin had to come and complain about your sister, whom, by the way, is currently the romantic interest of one Ralph Ambi, the pick-up line failure of the century, and as I was trying to convince Colin to man up and get over his heartless ex, no offense, I love your sister, Groose decides to show up and start picking on Colin and flirting with me, simultaneously, and I can feel a headache coming on and honestly the only thing I want to do is finish reading this stupid book so I can get that homework assignment done."

"…Ralph has the hots for my sister?" Link asked, bemused.

Glancing up at him wryly, Zelda leaned forward, pecked him on the cheek, and said, "Stay the way you are."

"Roger that." He replied, popping more trail mix into his mouth.

Zelda sighed and sat back, opening her book once again to the correct page, and prepared herself to begin reading, when it was once again plucked unceremoniously from her hand and shoved into the pouch of the seat in front of her.

Zelda took a calming breath and tried to quell the rage tearing through her chest.

"_Link…_"

"Zel, this is a field trip. We're here to relax and have fun and take our minds _off_ of school. Besides, I happen to know that Midna already ruined the ending for you, and in any event, it isn't even due until two weeks from now. You can put aside your obsessive need for earning brownie points from your English teacher for one weekend so we can relax and have fun together. This is for your sanity. Listen to me, I'm only doing this because I care."

Zelda's glare could have peeled tinted lining off the windows of the bus, but Link, it seemed, was impervious to death rays. Grinning cheekily, he offered her one of his headphones and said, "You're about to lose control and we've got another six hours of this bus ride. Take a nap."

Sighing resignedly, she accepted the earpiece and while she fitted it into her ear, Link adjusted the armrest so she could lie down against his side. As she settled down, she couldn't help the small smile from forming on her face.

"…I don't have an obsessive need for brownie points."

"Sure you don't."

* * *

Two figures met on a lonely dune in the middle of the vast Gerudo Desert.

One, proud and strong, stood defiantly atop the dune, the sunlight illuminating the simple white of his v-necked T-shirt and casting shadows along the tears in his jeans. The dirt swirled in eddies around his heavy combat boots, but other than ruffling his scarlet hair and silver dog tags at his collar, he remained unaffected by the wind.

The other approached the high dune from its shadow, advancing toward the man with cool decision, his footsteps plodding calmly and methodically. His garb was dark, and his face impossible to discern in the shadows.

The second figure stopped a few feet below the ridge of the dune whereupon the first remained standing. The two regarded each other for a moment in silence.

"You are not a hard man to find." Spoke the second, in a surprisingly young voice.

The first said nothing, merely regarding the second in silence.

"I have come here bearing news you may wish to hear."

Again, silence.

The second man continued. "It would seem that you have been searching for-"

"I know you."

The voice of the first man was deep and powerful, as vast as the very desert in which they stood, and his words seemed to startle the second, making him fumble over his words.

"I… I am not who you think I-"

"I am aware." Said the first, cutting off the second once more. "Your presence differs from his. …I could feel you approaching."

The second seemed to frown. "I am not here to serve you."

"Then why have you come?"

There was silence for a moment, and the second seemed to regain his footing.

"They say you are dead, you know."

The larger man stayed silent.

"They say you died that day, and nobody suspects a thing. Strange, that… how you managed to fool them, nobody the wiser… and yet, here you are, hiding in a desert rather than seizing your advantage. Is the once-great king frightened of children?"

"Tough words from a man who cannot leave the shadows." The first rebutted calmly.

"Hmm… Or can it be that you are not hiding? Is it, perhaps, that you are searching for something? Something you believe will tip the scales in your favor?"

The man on the dune said nothing, but his eyes narrowed, as he examined the man in the shadows. Sensing he's struck gold, the second man seemed to grin.

"What would you do if I told you I knew where lies the object for which you seek?"

"Why ask a question for which you know the answer?"

The second figure nodded. "Wise. Not your attribute, and yet you wield it cunningly. Perhaps we are not always doomed to repeat history. Very well; the strength you seek lies in Castleton, guarded with the rest of what remains of Hyrule's once great history."

"Why come all this way to tell me this if you are not to serve me?"

The shadowy one smirked. "Let's just say… an enemy of my enemy… You are not the only one headed to Castleton, King of Thieves. The Hero and the Princess make their way as we speak. The timing is ripe for you to exact your revenge."

"And if I am not to trust you?"

"Well, then the pieces remain where they lay, and the wheel ticks on. Perhaps in your next life you'll have another chance… or the next… or the next… or the next…"

Laughing the laugh of a younger man, the shadowy figure departed, fading into distance until the mirages carried him away, but still the first remained on the ridge, watching as the sun slowly slid down the horizon.

At last, as the half of the sun was eclipsed by the earth's surface, Ganondorf turned and strode away, anticipation building in his chest.

_It is time once again, Hero…_

* * *

_And that, folks, is chapter one. _

_So, let's answer the questions I'm sure you all have:_

_A. Zesty, where the frick did you go for the last two years?! **Brazil! Foi legal! Juro! Mas nao achei um macaco! Que pena! (my keyboard doesn't have cool portuguese symbols...)**_

_2. Zesty, have you repented of your ways and stopped your stupid habit of not updating on a regular schedule?! **NO! Sorry guys, I have a life and it's demanding, but I'll try to update this as frequently as possible. If you want me to hurry, leave me more reviews; seriously, nothing puts me in the mood to write quite like a review does.**_

_D. Zesty, are all my favorite characters coming back in this story?! **Yes, provided they didn't die in the last, and their names aren't Shad and Ashei. Sorry.**_

_So, to explain From the Dust right quick; basically, this story borrows from a lot of your favorite aspects of Hit List, while simultaneously propelling the story forward into new, unexplored territory. Now, I know a lot of you enjoyed my take on a highschool fic, but honestly, there was no way for me to pull off the highschool angle again, so if that's what you came here looking for, you may be disappointed. They're still highschoolers, they're just... not in a highschool as the setting. But whatever, I promise you that this story's gonna be so awesome, you'll have night terrors. The story centers around the magic and legends of Hyrule, the things that I've always loved about the games, and what happens when modern-day kids are thrust into them. There will be much of the action, much of the suspense, much of the humor, and much of the romance, and much of the many, many Zelda references, spanning every single one of the Zelda games; as of now, I counted over 200 distinct references or shout outs to specific Zelda games. I had a lot of fun planning this, and you'll have even more reading it. _

_The next chapter will set up the setting and more of the story, though the story doesn't really begin til the end of chapter three; don't be disappointed though, because chapter two is rife with foreshadowing and new character presentations, so it's a must read. Here's hoping I get it out to you soon._

_Um... any other questions can be asked in reviews or PMs. But now, I have a question for you's guys. _

_So, in my goal to make this story even more epically epic than Hit List was, I've gone out of my way with outlines and notes for story ideas and character development... literally, I did. I've got like 5 notebooks of story ideas and shiz. I'm not repeating the same mistakes I made last time. The entire story is planned, plotted, and penned; I just need to translate it all from 36 pages of highly detailed summary to 25 chapter story (that's where I'm spitballing toward), and in order to be sure that I avoid my most commonly complained about mistake, I think it's time that I look into getting people to proof-read my chapters before I submit them. Now, I don't really know how this BETA reader thingy works, but if anyone would like to volunteer, particularly those who've read Hit List and have previous experience, you can volunteer if you so choose. If not, I'll need to work something else out, because I'm not going through another story accidently mispelling Colin's name again, or swapping out Zelda's last name... goodness, that's embarrassing. _

_On a final note, before we end this, I wanna give a big shout out to all my supporters during Hit List; honestly, you guys are the best. I'm sorry that the story wasn't as polished as it could have been, so I'm doing my best this time around to give you awesome peeps what you deserve. _

_For the first in what's soon to be many updates, peace out home skillets._

_And remember:_

_Keep it Zesty. _

_ZC_


	2. The Tales They Tell

_Wow... so, Ok:_

_This chapter's been done for about 2 weeks now. The reason I didn't post it is because one of my awesome readers volunteered to be my BETA, and I gave her a shot 'cause she's had experience and seems like a straight up G. She told me she'd get the story back to me in a day or two, but that she was a little busy with work and friends and shiz, which is totally understandable... but it's been nearly two weeks and I haven't been able to get ahold of her again, so... I'm hoping she's ok, y'know, and just got swamped with more important stuff, but I couldn't wait any longer to post this mostly because until I do, my desire to write chapter three is basically dead... so yeah. It's only half done, and if you want it done faster, I need the 'oomph' that comes from getting reviews, so help me out!_

_And my cool BETA, if you read this and are offended that I posted the chapter without waiting for your review, I'm sorry, I just didn't want to wait anymore._

_On to chapter two!_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**The Tales They Tell**

A brisk morning wind snagged the ends of Zelda's hoodie, chilling her with a flood of frigid air and forcing her to draw her arms around herself protectively for warmth.

At her side, Aryll hastily drew the hood up of her own hoodie and tugged on the drawstrings until the only part of her face showing was the tip of her nose.

"Why does it have to be so cold in Castleton?" she whined, huddling closer to Zelda and Midna to conserve her body heat.

"Oh, suck it up," Midna grunted absently, leaning forward to examine the curio stall in front of her with greater interest. "Be grateful it's April. Imagine doing this in January."

"Ugh, don't even go there…" came Saria's muffled voice from off to the side. She, too, was examining the stall, looking adorable with a bright green beanie jammed on her head and a heavy brown winter coat on that she'd drawn up over the lower part of her face.

"I wish they'd hurry up and open," Aryll grumbled petulantly, and Zelda drew an affectionate arm around the younger, smaller girl, a gesture which she returned gratefully. "Why'd Auru make us show up so Din-blasted early if they aren't opening the doors until eight?"

"Probably just to make sure we'd all get here on time, in case of delays. Besides, it'll open up in a couple of minutes, and I'm sure it'll be warm and toasty inside," said Zelda bracingly, and Aryll sighed wistfully.

"Warm… Toasty…"

"Ooh!" squealed Malon from the other side of the cart before racing around to meet them. "Lookit! Look what I found! Isn't this just so _cute_?!"

Zelda scrutinized the plushy object she held clasped in her hands critically.

"It's… a cuckoo."

"Not just any cuckoo! This is a Lon Lon Cuckoo! Goddesses, I used to play with these little critters all the time when I was a kid!"

"She's from Lon Lon," came Aryll's reply to Zelda's confused look.

"Ahh."

"I think I'm gonna buy him." Malon nodded decisively.

"That'll be fifteen rupees," came the voice of the owner of the curio stall, popping his odd-afroed head around the shelves and grinning eagerly.

"Wow," Saria mouthed, a disapproving look on her face; Saria was ever the proponent of careful spending.

"What about you, Zel? Gonna pick anything up?"

"Oh, I don't think so…" she sighed. Really, some of the things looked cool, but what would she do with any of it? She never saw the point in buying souvenirs; it was like purposely purchasing clutter.

"Really?" said Saria, looking surprised.

"Why, am I supposed to?"

"Well, no, but I just thought you would, what with the anniversary and all…"

The four other girls turned to stare at her.

Saria's cheeks flushed red. "Oh! N-no, I meant, um, you know, with Link… Your first anniversary's coming up, isn't it?"

"Oh." It was Zelda's turn to feel embarrassed. "Din, I forgot."

"_You_ forgot your anniversary?" came Malon's disbelieving question.

"What, am I not allowed to forget things?" Zelda returned defensively.

"You're the woman," said Malon factually. "Women don't forget the important things. That's what men are for. I mean, how is your relationship going to last at this rate?"

"I don't think there's any risk of their relationship ending anytime soon, guys," came Aryll's reply, a slight edge of reproach in her voice. Zelda shot her a grateful look. "Besides, this is Link we're talking about. Not only has he definitely forgotten about it, he probably wouldn't want a big to-do anyway. You know he and Zelda like to keep things simple."

"Yeah, you two are boring," Malon agreed, happily cooing over her brand-new plush cuckoo, already forgetting the conversation.

Zelda scowled. "We are not boring!"

"You know, sometimes I forget Link and Zelda have only been dating for a year. You guys just seem so natural together; you feel like an old married couple."

"Saria!"

"It was a compliment!"

"Alright, let's stop picking on Zelly, guys," came Aryll's amused voice from where she was still cuddling against Zelda for warmth. "You know she's sensitive."

"I am not!"

"Hey, check this out!" said Midna, clocking back into the conversation. She was dangling from her hand what looked like a necklace made of braided twine. The cord was wrapped around a sparkling iridescent blue gem; the beauty of the stone contrasted in an interestingly antithetical way with the coarseness of the twine, and she could see why Midna had grabbed it.

"Ooh, pretty!" Saria cooed.

"What? Oh, sure, I guess… I mean if you like shiny rocks, but look inside!"

Hiding a smile at Midna's eccentrics, Zelda extended a hand and took the necklace from her. Squinting closer, Zelda could see what appeared to be a stylized eye carved inside the stone, with three triangles above it, and a single teardrop extending below.

"Doesn't that just look awesome? I wonder what it is…"

"It's the bleeding eye, the symbol of the Sheikah," said Zelda vaguely, examining the tag clipped to the necklace beside the stone.

"'Bleeding eye'? Ew!"

"Well, that's a bit macabre."

"Dude, the shadow folk are so cool!"

"It looks familiar," Aryll said, a slight frown on her face. "What's it say?"

"It says," Zelda said, clearing her throat to read the tiny script on the paper, "_'The Pirate's Charm. Many ancient legends speak of mystical stones used to communicate with other peoples or with mythical deities; in the Legend of the Hero of the Winds, the Hero used this charm to communicate with the Princess as he sailed the Waker Isles to defeat the Evil King. This item is an exact replica of the Charm described in legends. Collect all five! Trademark Beedle's Curios._'" Below the script were pictures of some other stones that she was sure Beedle was also selling.

"So that's how I know it!" Aryll exclaimed excitedly. "It's a Waker thing! We had one in our house back on Outset when we were kids, as a decoration."

"Aw, so it's a Waker thing?" Midna grumped. "So why's it got a Shadowfolk symbol on it? Psh, whatever. Blue isn't really my color anyway."

"You thinking of buying it, Zel?" Aryll asked when she noticed Zelda was still studying the card. "It's pretty…"

"I don't know…"

"Hey! You should totally buy it and give it to Link! It'd remind him of home back on Outset! I bet he'd really appreciate it!"

"You think?"

"Definitely!" Aryll chirped happily. "And then he'd be all, 'oh Zelda, you're so thoughtful and loving and kind… we should just give in and get married already- Ack!"

"Shut up," Zelda laughed, shoving her boyfriend's little sister away from her. Still, she mused over her suggestion for a minute. True, she had forgotten all about their anniversary, what with the anniversary of the shooting and the field trip going on and all... Even if Link had remembered and had planned something for her, she knew he wouldn't care if she got him anything or not…

But the real reason she was musing over the stone had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with its description. The Princess had once used a stone to communicate with the Hero? How? Using magic, obviously, but would it work with just any old stone, like the fake in her hand? Did the carving inside have something to do with it?

Honestly, it was worth trying… and if it didn't work, she'd just give it to Link.

Huh. Using her significant other as an excuse to buy herself presents. Maybe they really did act like an old married couple…

Pulling out another fifteen rupees, Zelda made the purchase.

As the girls wandered back toward their classmates, talking absently about nothing as teenagers do, Zelda took in the surroundings. The morning was brisk and gray, with non-threatening clouds clogging the sky. The students of Ordon High had been rousted from their beds around six o'clock that morning in order to ready themselves, load on the bus, and get to the museum before it opened. They arrived sometime around seven-thirty, and had been told by Auru and the other chaperones that they could wander the square in front of the museum for a bit to examine the stalls, but that they weren't to go far.

There was already a sizeable crowd in front of the museum's entrance. The Hero of Time was a massive part of Hyrulian history of the Hylian Alliance itself, actually, and nobody, no matter where they were from, wanted to miss it. Appropriately, this expose on the Hero of Time was attracting a lot of attention. The museum, in order to pull in larger crowds and therefore earn more money for the faltering historical society, had gone all out with the displays, redesigning rooms and entire wings of the museum to reflect particular aspects or themes of the various legends, or even sometimes the legends themselves.

To say Zelda was anxious to go inside was more than an understatement, but she felt like she was controlling herself well. Link, on the other hand, had remained by Auru and Nabooru's sides near the front of the museum, talking animatedly with the two and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Zelda shook her head ruefully. Honestly, he could be like a big child sometimes….

The square in front of the museum was fairly jam-packed with people eagerly awaiting the opening; so much so that you could barely see the red-bricked flooring below them. That didn't stop various curio stalls and food venders from setting up shop in the surrounding area, selling everything from overpriced, tacky souvenirs to overpriced coffee and hot chocolate to ward off the cold. There were also several police to help keep the peace, and a few homeless men skulking around the perimeter. Zelda had pitied the first she'd passed and had tossed him a few rupees, feeling a little impotent; she felt like the Princesses she'd been in the past would have been able to do so much more.

Shoving their way through the crowds, since it was nearly time for the opening, Zelda was finally able to see Colin and Sheik clearly towards the back of their group of classmates when a sudden screech split the air.

Starting in surprise, Zelda found herself mimicking the crowd around her, spinning on the spot in confusion trying to find the source of the noise. As the hundreds of voices of confused babble washed over her like a dull roar, she felt Midna snag her sleeve and begin dragging her towards her classmates when once again, a screech was heard.

There was a break in the crowd in the direction of the main street, and through the masses burst forth two little kids, sprinting towards the museum doors as fast as their little legs would carry them, looks of sheer terror on their faces. From behind them, shoving his way through the throngs of people came a third figure, this one an adult, who pelted after them as quickly as he could on his short, pudgy legs.

Before Zelda's mind could process the scene correctly, the man, who was clad in a skin tight full body spandex suit of the most abhorrent green and a pair of red swimming trunks, opened his mouth and let out another screech, only this time, Zelda realized he was shouting something.

"_Fairies!_"

"What?"

"Oh my…"

"What is he _wearing?!_"

"Whose kids are those?"

Through the scandalized gasps and murmurings of the crowd, Zelda found herself anxiously half-stepping forward towards the commotion. Something told her that man was not their guardian. "Hey, um… Do you think we should…?"

Before she could finish her sentence, the two kids came rocketing past her, screaming their little heads off. The one in front, a blonde girl and by the look of her, no older than seven or eight, was clinging to the arm of a shorter, pudgy boy and dragging him along behind her; the boy, who had blackish-violet hair, couldn't have been older than four. The girl's face was a mask of tear-filled panic and determination; the boy simply sported a comically adorable look of abject horror.

The man who was pursuing them was gaining fast in spite of his gut; he had a crooked face with a rather horrendous and bulbous red nose, complete with a wart below his lower lip, and squinty eyes. He looked to be in his thirties, though maybe that was just the weird scraggly goatee, and he reeked something like urine and alcohol as sped by her. Most likely, he was homeless.

The homeless spandex man was almost upon the kids when they decided to change directions at the last minute, veering off towards a hotdog stand at the corner of the plaza; the man followed after them, but was impeded by a stranger in the crowd who tried to intervene and seize him. With remarkable acuity, he broke free of the man's grip and continued on, shouting the word "Fairies!" again and again, and the crowd began pushing back to get away from him.

As the two kids leapt behind the hotdog stand, the owner let out a yelp at their sudden intrusion and attempted to ward off the crazy homeless man with another shout and a brandished hotdog weenie. But the man quickly lost his courage as the psychopath drew nearer, finally chucking his hotdog at the man and abandoning his post, leaving the two quivering kids cowering behind his rotary cooker.

As the man drew nearer, the older girl pushed the boy behind her and flung her arms out wide in a protective stance, her whole body trembling with fear and tears pouring down her hysterical face.

Zelda charged forward, only to be seized from behind by a pair of hands.

"Zel, what are you-?"

"The police are gonna-"

"Those are children!" she exploded angrily at Saria and Aryll, but before she could get another word in, a second green-shirted figure joined the party.

It was Link. How he'd gotten there so quickly she wasn't sure, but he hastily positioned himself between the homeless man and the two quivering children and held up his hands in a calming manner.

"Whoa, hey, sir, you need to calm down-"

"Fairies!" he blurted out again, his voice shrill, surging forward in an attempt to brush past Link and the hotdog stand, only to be fended off by the teenage boy. The kids screamed again.

"They're not… Fairies don't… Look, there aren't any fairies around here, ok? These are just kids and you need to back off!"

The man, who was preparing to charge again, suddenly stopped and stared, entranced, at the front of Link's shirt.

"What… but… A green shirt…" He slowly turned his head up to face Link, who took a cautious step backwards.

"Um, are you…?"

"But sir, surely you must be a fairy too!"

"A what?"

"A _what_?" echoed Aryll at Zelda's side.

"Oh man…" said Midna, a grin forming on her face.

"No, no, there aren't any-"

"Mr. Fairy! Mr. Tingle has been searching ages for you!" And with that, the portly man leapt forward and glomped Link, tackling him to the ground.

The children started screaming again as Midna and the rest of Zelda's friend burst into uncontrollable laughter. Zelda moved as though to go to Link's aid, but Mr. Auru and Mr. Alfonso were at his side in a flash, pulling the deranged lunatic off of her boyfriend and holding him back, even as he continued to cry, "Mr. Fairy! Oh, Mr. Fairy! I have found you!"

The police finally managed to push their way through the crowd; two of them relieved Zelda's teachers of their charge with gruff words of thanks, while a third went to Link and the kids.

Midna had collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath, and there were tears running down Aryll's cheeks as they continued their laughter.

"Oh… Oh… Din, did you…. D-did you see that?!"

"_I always knew Link was a fairy!_"

"Zelda has some competition!"

Grumbling, Zelda finally abandoned her friends and headed over towards the hotdog stand, passing the homeless man as she went. She caught his eye as the police dragged him off, and wagging his feet, he exclaimed what sounded like, "Tingle Tingle Kaloo-limpah!"

Shaking her head, she jogged the last few steps and arrived just in time to hear the officer finish what he'd been saying.

"… thing you did, but a little foolish. Still, thank you for protecting the children."

"It was nothing," Link said quickly, brushing the matter off in traditional Link fashion. Sighing, Zelda hurried forward.

"Link, are you ok?"

"Hey Zel, I'm fine! Think I may smell a bit though…" he joked lightly, tugging his collar up and giving it a sniff with a playful grimace.

Zelda ignored him. "How are the kids?"

"Tatl! Tael!" came a loud shout from behind them, and they turned to see a tall, wispy elderly man arrive on the scene.

"Oh, my children, do forgive me…" the man panted as he finally caught up, placing his hands on his knees and wheezing. "I told you not to panic, but you simply ran off, and I could not keep up with you…"

"Excuse me sir, you know these children?" asked the officer.

"Yes, officer, forgive me. I am Charlo, director of the West Road Orphanage. These two children are under my care."

_Orphans?_ Zelda thought sadly, turning away from the sallow, bearded man to look at the kids. The girl, who appeared to have calmed down a bit (though perhaps it was just a show), was hugging the boy, who was still wracked with tremors. She met Zelda's gaze with a fiery, challenging one of her own, despite the tear tracks still evident on her face.

"Do you know how all of this mess started?"

"It was an accident, sir. We are poorly funded and have few volunteers, and these two love to slip away. They got lost in the crowd, and…"

As the man explained to the officer what had happened, Zelda turned her attention to the gaggle of children who had just arrived in the company of another supervisor. The two kids behind the hotdog stand quickly got to their feet and hurried to join the others. One of the girls quickly ran to give the smaller boy a hug, but the blonde girl was met by a boy in a black skull t-shirt.

"Ha! Did you see that? You two got chased by the fatso!" he teased in a sing-song voice, doing a little dance.

"Hey!" yelled the blonde girl indignantly. "Don't make fun of my brother!"

"I'm not! I'm making fun of _you_!" he cackled maddeningly, only pushing the girl even further.

"Then _shut up!"_

"_Make me_!"

"Children, please stop fighting," murmured the supervisor, to no effect.

As the two geared up to throw it down, Charlo turned back to the group, wiping at his face with a handkerchief that he swiftly tucked back into the pocket of his suit coat. "Right. Well. We must be off if we're to see this museum before lunch. Tatl, Tael, if you two or anybody else runs off alone again, I'm taking you all back to the orphanage immediately. Questions? No? Good. Tatl, Tael, please say thank you to the nice young man for helping you."

The cute, pudgy boy turned his still tear-filled face toward Link and mumbled a quiet thanks. Tatl, however, scowled petulantly and turned away, crossed her arms in defiance.

"_Tatl…_" the man said in a warning tone.

"I didn't need his help! I can take care of myself!" she shouted.

"Tatl!"

"It's ok, Mr. Charlo." Link chuckled, shooting the girl a grin. "She was doing a pretty good job until I interrupted."

The girl's face flushed red but she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, I never… very well. Thank you again, lad. We'll get out of your hair now."

As the group left, the oldest of the kids, a girl around the age of eight with short navy hair, turned around and shot Link and Zelda a shy smile.

The couple turned to face each other.

_Smack!_

"H-hey!"

"Will you stop getting yourself into trouble?!"

"I- what?!" Link blabbered, confused, but Zelda was already stalking off toward the front of the building where the rest of her classmates were gathering.

"Dude, Link, classic," said Sheik, draping his arm around his best friend's shoulders when they'd finally joined the others.

"Aw, Link! You made a new friend!" Aryll chimed in, punching her brother bracingly on the arm.

"What? Did we miss something?" came Colin's voice from off to the side as he and Ralph approached. Aryll calmly turned and left the group without saying a word, heading toward Saria and Malon.

"Nah, Link just bro-hugged a hobo. Nothing new."

"Cut it out, guys."

"He did what now?"

"I'm so totally shipping this."

"Midna! That's not a thing, stop saying that!"

"It's totally a thing!"

"No it isn't! Where do you get this stuff? I don't even…"

"_That!_ Now _that_ isn't a thing!"

"Can you two shut up? They're opening the doors," Colin interjected, breaking up Sheik and Midna's lover's quarrel.

"Oh."

"Sweet."

Turning her attention to the front of the plaza, near where they were standing, Zelda could see Colin was right. There was a staircase before them that led to the large double-doors of the deceptively vast Museum of National History. The building looked to be two or three stories tall, though it only had two floors, and the front wall was made up of glass panes that shimmered in the morning sunlight. The doors were being pushed open now, and the security guards who were manning the perimeter of the square finally unlocked the gates, allowing the milling throng to push through like water from an uncorked flask.

"Everyone, stay together until the atrium!" came Auru's call through the confused tumult as they excitedly hurried up the steps towards the building. "I need to say a few things before I let you all disperse!"

Zelda lost Link in the rush up the stairs, but she didn't really mind; it was impossible for everyone to stick together in that mass of people. Finally reaching the top, Zelda squeezed her way past the doors and got her first look at the atrium.

It was huge. Thousands of mismatched tiles made up the flooring in various shades of red, blue, and green. There was a semi-circular welcome desk to the right side of the door where she could see Auru and Nabooru hastily speaking with the receptionist, and three hallways branching off into different sections of the museum – one to the left, one to the right, and one right in front of her. They had signs hanging over them; one said 'The Lost Woods', and another, 'Death Mountain', and the third, 'Gerudo Desert'. Across the atrium stood a staircase leading upwards that said, 'This way to the Sacred Realm'.

The most eye-grabbing thing in the room, however, was a massive fountain set in the very center of the atrium, with a beautifully carved sculpture of what was unmistakably a Great Fairy. Her head was bowed, wings extended, hands held aloft with their palms up as though in prayer, and her long hair covered her nudity above while a simple skirt covered her down below. On the basin of the fountain was a sign stating that all donations would go to the Hyrulian Historical Society.

The only other objects of note was the black security booth located next to the entrance, the window of which you could see from outside the building, and a large map of the museum that illustrated where everything was beside the reception desk.

Zelda hurried toward that.

Trying her best to memorize the outline in order to better plan her and Link's day, she found her level on anticipation and excitement only skyrocketing further as she read the rooms. Every display they had centered on elements or themes from the many, many legends, and to make it easier, they'd divided them between the separate rooms. So the room on the Lost Woods taught about the region's history, its peoples, and then explained all about the many legends and myths about that particular part of the country. They had rooms about the woods, Death Mountain and Snowpeak, Zora's Domain, Lake Hylia, Kakariko, the Gerudo Desert, Lon Lon, the Sacred Realm, and Castleton itself, including Hyrule's Royal Castle.

There were sections on everything from weaponry to civilizations to mythological creatures, and an exhibit on the Waker Islands. There was even a room dedicated to a bunch of masks that had been generously donated for the event from Termina. She was so excited, she could nearly burst. An entire museum, dedicated to her and Link's past… If there was anywhere she could find answers, it was here.

"Alright, everyone! Gather 'round, we need to go over some things!"

Zelda regretfully tore her gaze away from the map and went to join Auru and the rest of her classmates near the fountain.

"Ok, here's how it's gonna go – you're all free to roam the museum as you see fit. You're all good kids, and I trust you. Don't do anything stupid, or touch anything that you're not allowed to touch. The chaperones will be walking around, keeping tabs on you, just to make sure, and remember: no leaving the museum. Lunch, as we said, is on you – they have a cafeteria up on the second floor, so eat when you get hungry. We'll report back here at four for a special treat before heading back to the hotel, alright? Any questions?"

"I have one," came a clear, high voice from across the atrium. A man stepped forward from where he'd been examining the group from behind the reception desk; he had neatly combed orange hair and pointed ears with eyes that seemed to permanently squint. His hands he kept clasped together in front of him, as though he was nervous about giving a speech in front of a crowd, although he gave no such impression in the tone of his voice. He wore dark slacks and an odd lavender dress shirt with a golden collar. There was something distinctly odd about the man, but Zelda couldn't exactly put her finger on what it was…

"Where are you from?" the man asked with a grin, and Auru, looking a tad discomfited, answered.

"We're from Ordon High School."

"Ah, yes!" the man exclaimed delightedly, stepping closer to the group and bobbing slightly in what might have been short bows, "I had heard there would be a school party here today!"

"Um, I'm sorry. You are?" Auru asked in strained politeness.

"Oh, forgive my intrusion – I am Mr. Happy, the museum's curator."

"Mr… Happy?" Auru asked, taking in the man's grin with a doubtful expression.

"Yes, quite. I am the curator here at the Museum of National History. We're quite pleased to have you all here."

He extended his hand to Auru, who shook it briskly, and the man offered him a tiny bow. That's when it hit Zelda; the man never stopped grinning.

"Well! Off to explore the wonders and legends of our noble country's fascinating history, are we? Yes, yes, that is excellent. Well, I bid you all a good day – ah, but a word of council first, if I may…"

There was something about the way the man talked or perhaps in his mannerisms that had captivated the entire class's attention.

_A word of council?_ Zelda thought, puzzled. _What is that supposed to mean? And why am I getting a strange feeling from this man?_

He slowly examined the class, taking them in one by one, before beginning to speak.

"Our history speaks to us." He intoned solemnly, slowly pacing as he faced the students though never once wavering in his grin. "It cries as one from the dust, raising a silent voice of warning…"Zelda could have sworn that his eyes lingered on her, and she shivered. "There is much we could learn, if we but listen…

"I advise you, today, as you enjoy your time exploring the past, to think deeply on the lessons they convey. Pay careful attention to the stories of the Hero, my children... You never know when you may need them."

He paused once more, scanning the students as though gleaning information from the words of a book, before bowing again and heading away.

Nodding slowly, a puzzled look on his face, Auru turned back to the cluster of students and chaperones and said, "Well… alright, you're free to go. Have fun!"

And like that, the bubble burst, the strangeness fled away, and the students immediately began rushing off in different directions.

Zelda felt a smile wash over her face, shaking off the oddness of her encounter with Mr. Happy. Finally, the moment was here… Time for her and Link to meet their pasts.

Hurrying through the quickly dispersing throng, she cast her eyes about for her boyfriend, eager to set off and get their journey started. She saw Sheik and Midna disappear around the corner headed towards the Lost Woods room. Darunia and Ruto were hurrying toward Death Mountain with Miss Astrid hot on their heels, likely intending to keep an eye on them. Aryll was disappearing with Saria and Malon, Mido trailing close behind, Colin vanishing with Ralph, Auru heading off with Alfonso, and she still couldn't find Link. Finally, she spotted him beside the fairy fountain, talking to the new girl Marin and her two orchestra friends.

"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully, hopping beside him and grabbing his hand. "Ready to go? I know you want to start in the forest, but are you sure we can't head to the castle first? I mean, I really feel like it makes more sense…"

"There you are!" Link exclaimed playfully, nudging her shoulder. "And here I thought you got impatient and ran off without me!"

"Believe me, I was tempted."

"You do me so wrong…"

"Oh hi! You must be Zelda!" Marin exclaimed loudly, tilting her head to the side and waving emphatically. "I'm Marin! Link's told me so much about you!"

"He has, has he?" Zelda asked, shooting Link a wry look.

"Only great things," he replied casually.

"Yeah, you sound so cool! I'm so excited that Link's letting me hang out with you guys today!"

"He's what?" Zelda asked, feeling like she just got punched in the stomach.

"Oh, right! So hey, Marin's new here and doesn't really have anybody to hang out with, and I figured she could join us for the day. Get this – she's from Koholint! That's pretty close to Outset, where me and Aryll grew up! I was thinking we could head over to the section about the islands first, and go ahead and get that out of the way. What do you think?"

Marin had already engaged herself in a conversation with the other two teens present and wasn't paying attention to her or Link anymore, so Zelda seized the opportunity to snag Link's sleeve and drag him a few feet away.

"Link! What are you doing?" she hissed angrily, and Link blinked.

"Um… nothing?"

"You're inviting other people into our moment! This is supposed to be you and me exploring our past lives together! I thought it was going be just us! We can't exactly share this with random strangers!"

"Oh, yeah, I know!" he said quickly, clearly confused over why Zelda was upset but trying to appear on top of things. "I know I said that, and we will – we have two whole days to explore this museum, Zel. I just figured we could explore some of the less-important rooms first to make the new girl feel more included. We can go visit the castle tomorrow. Why can't we go with her now? I kinda already promised…"

Zelda stared at her clueless boyfriend mutely. He wasn't getting it. She could tell by his face, he wasn't getting it. It wasn't about where they went and when, but that they went together – just the two of them, the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny, to discover about their pasts. She didn't want anyone else there with them when they did that; not Marin, not Sheik, not anybody. That was like unearthing an unknown box of old wedding photos and going through them with some random girl rather than your wife. Who did that? Not that she was Link's wife, but the point was the same.

Still, she couldn't tell him that. Not here, not in front of everybody. She took a deep breath and tried to reign in her anger and disappointment.

"Are you mad?"

"No."

He looked doubtful. "Zel, if you want I can tell her that we can't do it…"

"No, Link, just… You go ahead and go with her. I'll go join the others until you're done."

"What?!"

"Go, it's fine. I'll see you later, ok?"

Before he could answer, she turned on the spot and walked off, trying her hardest not to storm. She wandered blindly, not really paying attention to where she was going, vainly attempting to suppress the seething pot of anger that was boiling inside of her.

Was it wrong of her to be mad? Looking at it analytically, she knew Link meant no harm by it. It's not like he was replacing her like Midna kept saying; she trusted him and knew he would never hurt her intentionally… But maybe that was the problem. Not what he was doing intentionally, but unintentionally. Link just wanted to help out the new girl; he was always like that, always trying to help other people, ever since he'd given that speech last year calling his classmates to action. She knew he felt like he had to do his part to live up to what he'd said. Or maybe it was more than that – ever since he'd gotten his part of the Triforce.

But why did that mean that he had to put her behind others? Why did that mean that the one time she wanted to do something with him, something that was special between him and her that could never be shared between any other two people in the history of the world, she had to take the back seat?

She didn't blame Marin. She didn't hate Marin. But if she was being honest, she was a little jealous of Marin. And that probably hurt worst of all.

Shaking her head ruefully, Zelda tried to calm down. _It's fine, everything's fine… he's just being the hero like he always is, like he was yesterday with the car, and today with those kids… it's who he is, literally. You know this. Just calm down. He promised he'd come and find you when he's done, and he's right, there are two whole days of this – we definitely have enough time._

Zelda stopped walking and took a deep breath. Yeah… that didn't work. _Well, guess it's time to find the others and wait until he's done. _

Only… when she cast her eyes about her, she realized she was lost somewhere in the woods section, surrounded by people she didn't know, with no familiar faces in sight.

"Great," she muttered bitterly, turning around and searching for her classmates. "Come on, there's gotta be somebody…" No sense in wandering the museum alone; then she'd only feel more pathetic.

With a jolt, she saw a face she recognized through the crowds and grinned… only to blanch and began backpedaling as fast as she could when she realized who she was staring at. It was Groose, and he was headed her way.

She quickly turned and made as though to run and hide in the next room and immediately slammed into someone. She fell back onto her butt with an 'oof!' and winced, feeling mortification flood through her, only adding to her bad mood.

"Ow! Ooh… I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to-"

"Zelda? Zelda Nohansen, is that really you?"

Glancing up owlishly, Zelda found herself staring into the handsome face of the last person she expected to see.

"_Kafei Dotour_?!"

"Yeah! What's up, buttercup?"

With a grin, he offered her a hand and hefted her to her feet.

"Sorry about running into you like that," he laughed, placing a hand on his hip and grinning charmingly in traditional Kafei style.

"No, it was my fault, I… Kafei! What are you doing here?!"

"Me and Anju took a day off classes over at Kakariko University and came to see the mask exhibit; did you know that Anju's a mask freak? She's crazy about them. Go figure. Personally I think it's a little creepy, but… Hey, where's Link?"

"Oh, uh, he… He's with some friends. He's gonna meet up with me later." A wave of anger washed over her again, but she forced a smile all the same. Din, was she going to focus on this all day?

"So… you all alone?" he asked, brows knitted in confusion.

"Seems that way…"

"Well that's not right. Link's failing at this boyfriend thing." Zelda inwardly agreed with the purple-headed boy, but didn't comment. "Don't worry; I'll knock some sense into him later. You wanna hang with me and Anju in the mean time? You don't even have to play third wheel; we've brought her friend Cremia along for the ride. You two can make fun of how adorable me and Anju are to your hearts' content."

Zelda giggled; Kafei never got old. "Yeah, that sounds awesome! Where are they?"

"Waiting in the other room. We saw you walk through and she sent me to get you. Such a slave driver…"

"You love it, and you know it."

"Guilty as charged..." He sighed playfully, and she laughed.

"Well, lead the way?"

"After you, Zelly-poo!"

* * *

Midna stood before the painting with her hip cocked to the side, one arm resting akimbo, the other dangling uselessly in the air. Sheik stood beside her, both hands in the pockets of his skinny jeans, elbows cocked out behind him and a bored look on his face. The two of them had been standing there staring at the picture on the wall for a good five minutes now in complete and total silence.

"Yeah…" Sheik finally said, brushing his lanky hair away from his eyes and proceeding to scratch the back of his head, "I don't get it."

"What's not to get? The picture's pretty straight-forward."

"I dunno, Mid. I mean, look – the Hero's clearly running away from the monster. Look, he's got his horse pointing in the other direction."

Midna examined the painting on the ancient leather canvas a little more critically. "Maybe he's taunting it."

"How? By pooping out triangles?"

"That was immature."

"Tell that to the artist. Look, the dude's totally pooping out a triangle."

"I think you may be interpreting this a little too seriously…"

"I think his horse has smoke-vision. He's totally firing clouds out of his eyeballs."

"Aaaand I think we're done here." Midna sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly and brushing her hair back behind her ear.

"I wish I had a horse that farted polygons and could summon the rain with his eyes…"

"Come on, babe. You're starting to scare the children," she said, snagging his hand and dragging him away. Sure enough, there was a boy no older than six who was staring at Sheik with his mouth hanging open. His mother shot them a dirty look as they passed.

As they walked down the stairs from the Sacred Realm hand in hand, Midna felt another yawn escape her mouth.

"Dude, this is boring."

"Oh, come on," Midna retorted dully. "You know Link and Zelly really wanted to come, don't go raining on their parade."

"They're not even here. They're probably off making out in the section about ancient weddings or something."

"Probably. But hey, there's gotta be something fun here for us to do too."

"Like what?"

"Wanna go and join them?" Midna flashed a flirtatious wink over her shoulder at her boyfriend as they reached the ground floor and began walking randomly in the direction of one of the hallways.

Sheik quirked an eyebrow. "By that you either mean A: Do I want to go make out _next_ to our two best friends, which would be super awkward, or B: Do I want to go make out _with_ our two best friends. And I gotta tell ya, Link looks like the slobbery type."

"Yeah, that's for sure…" Midna hummed.

They entered the hallway leading towards Death Mountain and continued their aimless wandering. Smiling to herself, Midna hooked her arms behind her head and examined her boyfriend critically out of the corner of her eye.

The past year had changed Sheik. He was still the cynical pessimist he'd always been, but he was both brighter and darker than the boy she'd known at the end of the shooting. He laughed more, got out more, helped out whenever Link needed it or Midna complained enough. He'd even joined the swim team, which for the old Sheik was unthinkable; it given him some toned muscles too, for which Midna was ever so grateful… It made him look good in his skin-tight faded jeans, his favorite converse and his anachronistic snow-camo T-shirt. He also bore a black ring made of coconut on his right ring finger, as did Midna, and a black band on his left wrist. His lanky blonde hair still hung down into his bored, scarlet irises.

And yet in spite of all the positive things about his new life living with Link and dating the most amazing girl in the world (she being unbiased, of course), there was still that omnipresent shadow behind his smiles, the one that hung in the back of his eyes no matter what she did. She knew he still hadn't gotten over the shooting; one year wasn't very long, after all, but she wished she could do more to help. If anything, the year had only given his guilt time to fester inside of him. Still, she knew her, Link's, and Zelda's nearly constant presence was helping more than she could ever understand; without their support, she wondered at times if Sheik would still be around…

Midna shook her head roughly, shaking off those thoughts. There had been enough death in her life already. No need to fill her imagination with it too.

After the shooting, her mother, who was your typical suburban housewife, had decided that she needed to spend more quality time with her only child; apparently, children are a precious resource or something, and she wanted to reap it for all it was worth. In order to do so, and as a requirement her parents had set in order for her to date Sheik, she was forced to join her mother's book club. She resented it whole-heartedly at first, going into full-blown drama mode in an effort to escape what would surely be a soul-sucking, happiness-killing, mind-numbing waste of two hours a week, but all of her efforts were in vain. Her friends were less than sympathetic, and before long she found herself dragged along to their first meeting.

She'd worn an outfit guaranteed to irritate all of her mother's prissy stepford-wife friends; a low-cut tank top, baggy black pants with combat boots, extra-heavy on the mascara, and had her orange-highlighted locks done up in childish pigtails. She wore all her rings, all her piercings, all her bracelets, and had had Saria do a fake tattoo of a naked woman on her upper arm (that one her mother hadn't been too happy about, but it didn't get her out of going unfortunately).

To her surprise, the woman of the book club accepted her without even blinking. Some even complimented her look (one of the older ladies claimed to have dressed even more exotically in her day!). The biggest surprise of all… she actually _enjoyed_ book club. Two hours of free food while trashing sucky literature like Twilight and praising the good stuff like Harry Potter? It even opened her up to some new things; like, who even knew old books were good? English class had clearly done her wrong. Agatha Christie was the shiz, as good ol' Mrs. Seres said, and who knew Frankenstein wasn't the name of the monster?! Crazy stuff!

She'd become a bit of a troper since then**, **and it irritated Sheik at times the way she'd begun criticizing the character development of his favorite movies, but she didn't care. It entertained her to frustrate him.

She'd toned down her wardrobe after that first meeting, too, but still kept to her rocker-side, if only to irritate her parental units a smidge. Like now, for example: aforementioned black tank top was paired with the same faded, ripped jean shorts she'd been wearing the day before on the bus in spite of the chill of the morning air (she was a trooper, and the cold never bothered her anyway). She also had on several bracelets, and few piercings in her ears, a black choker, jet black converse like her boyfriends, and the white and black checkered hoodie she'd been using outside had been removed and cinched about her waist. As for the hair, she'd just thrown it back in a messy ponytail, as per usual, with a few strands hanging in front of her face. She liked to keep things simple.

After a minute's walk, they wound up at an intersection.

"So, which way, captain?" Sheik asked. From his tone she could tell he wasn't too invested in the outcome of her decision.

"What've we got? Hmm… To one side, Death Mountain, a place that sounds super metal, but in reality probably just talks about rocks and mining."

"And dragons," Sheik offered. "I'm pretty sure there's a picture of a dragon in that history textbook we didn't actually read."

"You mean the one who looks like an eighties rock star?"

"Yup. I've named him 'Bowie' for short."

"Ok. So do we go see Bowie the magic dragon on the mountain of Death, or… go down this adjacent hallway to see music?"

"You can't 'see music', Mid, it's something you have to listen to."

"Yeah, shut up. So which is it?"

"I vote Bowie the magic dragon. Music sounds lame."

"True dat," she agreed, and the apathetic couple moved as though to continue on their leisurely stroll… until an unexpected person exited the music hallway and into their line of sight, stopping them short.

"Holy Din…"

"Hey, is that…"

"_Linebeck?!_" they exclaimed in unison incredulously.

The pot-bellied ex-janitor turned at the sound of his name being called and gave the two teens a blank once-over.

"Well, would you look at that, Sparkle's here," he said blandly, his voice as gruff as ever.

Midna scowled in annoyance. "My _name_ is Sparky – I mean, Midna. You know I don't like it when you call me that."

"Yeah, whatever. So what're you and the boy emo wonder doing all the way here in Castleton? You playin' hooky to go out on a date? Not the most romantic of venues, but hey, who am I to judge?"

Linebeck, it would seem, hadn't changed at all. Same lanky salt-and-pepper hair, same red nose, same angular face with his stupid five o'clock shadow. He was sporting what passed as a two-part mustache and a ragged goatee, and his hairline seemed to be retreating, though admittedly it seemed better kempt than it had been when he was a single janitor. All in all, he looked like an older, less-attractive Captain Jack Sparrow. After the shooting he'd quit his job as the janitor at Ordon High and had moved away, taking Jolene, the one-time assistant to Coach Nabooru who'd been smitten with him ever since his surprise heroics in the gymnasium. Midna hadn't heard anything about him since.

Judging by his black slacks and white button up, and the wire she could see dangling from his ear, he seemed to be working at the museum. But did janitors wear earpieces?

"We're here on a school field trip, Linebeck," Sheik said, giving the older man a brief once-over. "What are you doing here?"

Rather than answering his question, Linebeck went stiff, his eyes wide with fright. "You… You said… t-the school is h-here?! Today of all days, the school is here?!"

Midna winced, and not just because his voice had cracked at the end of his sentence; yeah, that probably wasn't a very pleasant revelation to receive, that the school where you once worked and had been shot up had decided to have a field trip and followed you to your new place of residence on the anniversary of said shooting. Deciding to intervene before the older man had a conniption and died of heart failure, Midna spoke up.

"Relax, Linebeck. It isn't the whole school. There's about fifty of us, but it's mostly Link and his friends. You know, the kids who helped out at the end of the… thing."

"Oh… Ok, then…" Linebeck panted, collapsing against the wall and clutching at his heart. "I guess… I guess I can… handle that… If the kid's here, then… At least it's not one of those maniacs who started shooting up the school in the-"

His eyes flashed to Sheik, who'd grown still at his words, and then back to Midna. She glared at him with all the hatred she could muster and he cleared his throat gruffly. "Right. Well. Um, well that's good news, like a family reunion. Yup. Just dandy…"

An awkward silence persisted for a moment, with Linebeck looking terrified and Sheik likely angsting behind his statuesque demeanor. Midna took the liberty to change the subject.

"So why are you here, Linebeck?"

He started in surprise, then clenched his jaw, feeling stupid for having done so. "I work here now. I'm a security guard."

Midna's eyebrows quirked upward. "Really? They think you're responsible enough for that? You can't even keep a floor clean, how are you going to keep track of hundreds of priceless historical artifacts?"

"Ha ha, you're a riot, Sparky," Linebeck deadpanned, and Midna bared her teeth at the use of her pet-name. Really, just because she had orange highlights in her hair? The name didn't even make sense! "I'll have you know, being a security guard's actually pretty simple. Just a lot of camera watching. Besides, being the hero of the Ordon High-" His eyes flickered to Sheik, then back, "…um, thingy… it looks pretty good on a resume."

"_You_ aren't the hero of anything," Midna grated in irritation. Honestly, this man just dug himself deeper and deeper… "_Link_ is. And so are we." She added the last bit for Sheik's benefit more than anything else.

"Hey, I saved those kids in that gym _and_ drove them all to safety!" Linebeck shot back, incensed. "I have as much of a right to be called a hero as you do!"

"He's right, Midna," Sheik cut in, his voice neutral, and Midna deflated, biting back her retort. "He has a point."

"That's right!" Linebeck said, nodding emphatically. "Listen to the emo, he knows his stuff."

"Ugh," Midna said in disgust, "honestly, I don't see why Jolene sticks with you, you're insufferable."

Linebeck's face flushed scarlet and he adjusted his earpiece, mumbling something that sounded like, "That's what she's always telling me…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Look, I ain't got time to mess around with you children, I got a job to do. See ya around, Sparkles. Emo."

"It's Sparky! I mean… Gah! I can't stand you!" Midna screeched, tearing at her hair, but the older man simply stalked off, grumbling to himself.

"Cool it, Mid, he's gone," Sheik said softly, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Grrr, that man just gets under my skin and…. Bah! Whew…. Ok, ok, I'm good, I'm…" She turned from her mini-explosion, ignorant of the weird looks she was getting from concerned passers-by, and faced her boyfriend, examining his eyes crucially.

"You ok?"

"What? Yeah, why wouldn't I be ok?" he asked, his face and voice the perfect mask of polite, innocent confusion, but Midna knew better. She also knew better to pry unless he was willing to talk, so she let it slide for now. Stupid Linebeck and his stupid comments about the shooting… Sheik still hadn't forgiven himself for his involvement, and she knew comments like that had major negative effects on his self-esteem. Still, it was too late now, and he wouldn't open up in public; no way to help him shrug it off now unless she could get his mind off of it.

"Alright then, come on. Bisexual dragons await us," she replied, tucking her hand in his and dragging him down the hallway.

However, a few steps down something else caught her eye, grounding her to a halt.

"What? " Sheik asked, following her gaze. "What is it?"

The hall was ending into the room that opened up into the exhibit about Death Mountain, but she could see another hallway branching off to the side, this one labeled 'Kakariko and the Shadowfolk." Something inside her stirred, and for the first time that day, she was excited.

"Come on! There's something we need to see!" she exclaimed, hurrying forward, still towing him along behind her.

"I-what? But what about dragons?!"

"We'll have time for dragons later! For now, just follow me!"

Giggling like a psychotic schoolgirl, which in a way she was, Midna dragged her complaining boyfriend down the remainder of the hallway, around a corner, down another hallway, passed a room full of paintings of rock people, and into the museum's tiny Kakariko Village. The far side of the room which contained another entrance was full of model houses and examples of how the people of that era used to live; in other words, it was boring. The side they had appeared on, however, was devoted to…

"The Sheikah?" Sheik asked, an odd note to his voice.

"Yeah!" Midna exclaimed excitedly. "This is the cool stuff! Shadows and the undead and dark magic and assassins! The shadowfolk are the coolest!"

Not waiting for him to follow, she darted ahead and began looking at the exhibits. When Sheik finally joined her a moment later, she was reading a plaque beside a large stone tablet bearing the same bleeding eye symbol Zelda had found in that charm earlier that morning.

"Looky here, Sheik! It says, '_This symbol marks the spot in Kakariko Village where it is believed the sacred Shadow Temple once stood; in this temple, the Shadowfolk tortured and killed enemies of the Royal Family, as well as performed their dark necromancies…_' Sweet. But what's all that about necromancies? I wonder why the royal family wanted body guards who were so dark and creepy."

Sheik didn't answer. Midna read a little bit further.

"_It is not known for what true intent the Shadowfolk were to use their 'Shadow Magics', but the peoples of that race were bitterly persecuted as witches and heretics in the centuries that followed that fall of the last monarchy. The culture remained strong until late into the twelth and thirteenth centuries, until almost all black magic practices were abolished…_ Dude, the Shadowfolk are so cool. I wouldn't mind being of Sheikah descent, but I think I'm only Twili. The two are closely related though, so I don't think it really matters…"

"Being Shadowfolk is a curse, not a blessing, Midna," Sheik murmured softly.

Midna shot her boyfriend an odd look. "Um… huh? What is that, reversed racism I'm hearing? Aren't you Sheikah? I mean, the name, the eyes, the complexion…"

"Yeah, I'm a Sheikah. My whole family was Sheikah. And a fat lot of good it ever did us," he spat with unexpected venom, and Midna slowly raised her eyebrows.

"Um, ok. Hold the ponies there, admiral. Since when have you had a problem with the Shadowfolk?"

"Since… It's not… Look, we've just had a crummy run from the start. Back in the day, we were the Royal Families slaves, then we got persecuted for being their slaves, and now look at us!"

Midna looked around. "Uh… at who?"

"The Shadowfolk!"

"Hun, the Shadowfolk are treated just fine now. At least two of Hyrule's ministers are Shadowfolk. Really, I don't get what your deal is; that was hundreds of years ago. And I thought you hated your family?"

"Yeah, well… just… forget it, ok? Can we leave now?"

"I… guess?"

She cast a regretful eye around the room at all the cool Shadowfolk architecture and displays and caught a glimpse of the Book of Mudora sitting on a glass case not too far away. She groaned.

"Do we really need to go?"

"Yes. … Please."

She groaned again. "Fine… Let's go then. I'll just come back here later with somebody else who doesn't have repressed issues that they won't talk to their girlfriends about…"

"…"

As they left the room, Midna took one last look backwards, and something caught her eye. There, across from where they were, was a third entrance that led, presumably, to the Desert section. Back against the wall she could barely make out what looked to be a large, circular mirror.

Midna sighed dejectedly. Why is it the only cool stuff in the building she wasn't allowed to see? The things she did for her idiot…

* * *

"Like, oh my Din!" Aryll squealed excitedly.

"What was that that just came out of your mouth?" Saria asked, mortified, as Aryll skipped across the room.

"I knew I was rubbing off on her," Malon stated proudly.

"Oh Farore…"

"Guys, look… at this…" Aryll gasped, her face and hands pressed up against the glass of the display case, staring at the object in fervid admiration. "It's adorable…"

"Um… Isn't that an axe?" asked Mido, clearly confused.

"I think it's a hammer," Saria responded, stepping up next to Aryll.

"It is…" She sighed longingly. "A hammer with a skull design…"

"And… skulls are cute? Isn't that a little morbid?"

"You don't get it, Mido," Malon answered, putting an arm around his shoulder bracingly and adopting a lecturing tone. "Aryll has a weird skull fetish. She's had one ever since middle school. It's just a bizarre, twisted part of her that you have to learn to love and accept."

"Why else do you think she wears that skull t-shirt all the time?" Saria laughed.

"Um… because she has a bizarre fashion sense?"

"You know who had a great fashion sense?" Aryll sighed, finally pulling herself away from the hammer. "The Hero of Time."

"Oh boy, let me tell you," Saria sniggered. "Those tights were totally dashing. Hot stuff right there."

"I thought he went commando…" Mido said, scratching at the back of his head.

"Now that _would _be hot."

"Malon!"

"Anyway, I'm bored!" the energetic ginger exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "We've been in here for like, an hour! You two have had your fun in the forest, can we go to the part about Lon Lon now?!"

"Not yet!" Aryll said, and Malon groaned. "Sorry, love. We're going in order, and next up is… The Outer Isles!"

"What?! Aw man, there isn't even anything cool in the outer isles…"

Aryll shot her a death look.

"What? You know it's true, other than the beaches, and it's not like there's gonna be any beaches here."

"She has a point… about the beaches, I mean," Saria corrected hastily as Aryll directed her gaze toward her.

"Well, you are all about to put your rupees where your mouths are, ladies! … and Mido! Because we're going to the Islands right now, and you are going to be in awe!"

"More like the sheer disappointment is going to make us say 'aw,'" Malon joked, and Aryll playfully shoved her into Mido, who didn't complain. Then again, why would he?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up. Hurry up and let's go!"

The four friends began casually making their way toward the exit, heading vaguely in the direction they remembered the wing about the Islands being. As they walked, they took time to examine random stalls or exhibits and talk about random teenage nothings. Aryll could admit she was actually having a lot of fun, and she knew her friends were too, despite how Malon might be acting.

Honestly, the only downside was the presence of two certain males, but they weren't near her at the moment, so she could live with it.

They'd decided to check out the section about the Lost Woods first, because there was something there that interested everybody present. Saria and Mido both apparently had ancestral lines that tied back to the area of the Kokiri Woods, and there was a cool scale model bust of the mythical Great Deku Tree made of paper mache that they'd all taken pictures with, as well as a model tree house that they could walk inside that fairy children, the Kokiri, were said to have lived in. They even had hats for the kids that had glowing balls on the end that were supposed to be your 'fairies'. Saria had convinced the cute guy working there to let her have one in spite of her age, and it now sat twinkling on her head.

The best part about the museum was all the magic; in history classes at school, they'd mention the legends and myths, but then would go off on long tangents about how scientifically speaking, none of it could possibly be true, and then try and explain using logic what might have actually happened, and what they came up with was always anti-climactic. The museum didn't do that – they explained the actual facts, and then went full on 110% on the magical side. It was amazing, and made Aryll feel just like she was a kid again.

Maybe that's why she was so eager to get to the part about the Islands… She missed her childhood home, and wanted to see if the museum could kill some of her nostalgia; it hadn't failed her yet.

Still, she was a little sad she didn't get more time to admire all the skull masonry in the Lost Woods; she really did think it was super cool. And that picture she took by the Skeleton Warrior? Totally her new Facebook profile pic.

The troop finally left the Lost Woods section and found themselves lost in the atrium again. They spun around in circles for a moment before Saria reminded them that the section on the Outer Islands was upstairs. Taking the steps two by two, they raced up to the second floor and bypassed the Sacred Realm (because as Malon said, heaven comes last), and found the corridor headed towards the Islands.

Just before arriving, they passed a doorway that led to a large, open room whose walls were lined with hundreds upon hundreds of masks.

"Whoa…" Mido said, slowing to a stop and staring into the room. "What on earth…?"

"Oh hey, this must be that display from Termina they were talking about," Aryll commented idly, giving the room a curious once-over.

"Dude, do you think the masks really have magical powers, or-"

"Goddesses, look who it is!" Saria cut in, pointing to the far end of the room. Following her finger, Aryll's eyes rested upon the long, purple-headed physique of none other than…

"Cremia!"

"What?" Aryll asked, confused, but Malon shoved passed her and ran into the room, giggling emphatically.

"But I thought that was…?"

"Kafei?" Saria supplied with a grin, "It is. She's talking about the red-head standing next to the blonde over in the corner. She's her cousin from… wait, is that Zelda?"

"Oh hey, yeah!" Aryll threw up her arm and waved at her brother's girlfriend energetically. Zelda caught her eye as Malon glomped her cousin and smiled back.

"Wait, but where's your brother? I thought they were spending the day together."

Aryll gave the room a brief once-over. Aside from Zelda, Malon, and Cremia on one side, and Kafei and what appeared to be Anju examining a pure white mask on the other, there wasn't anybody she recognized in the room.

Shooting Zelda a quizzical look from across the room, Aryll mouthed, '_Where's my brother?'_

In response, Zelda shrugged despondently. At another confused look from Aryll, Zelda offered a quick shake of her head. Apparently, she didn't want to talk about it right now.

"Seems like there's trouble in paradise…" Aryll mused quietly.

"What was that?" Saria asked.

"Nothing. So, we going in?"

"What do you think?"

"Hmm…" She gave the room another look over. It seemed like all it really had to offer was masks; sure, some of them looked pretty cool, like the skull one against the far wall, and this dark purple heart-shaped mask with spikes on the edges that was encased in its own special glass case beside a simple human faced mask with what looked like white hair and red and blue tribal paint on its cheeks. Those ones were pretty sweet. All in all though, masks were kinda creepy.

"Yeah… I think we can give this room a pass… it kinda freaks me out."

"Yeah, me too," Saria said with a relieved laugh.

"Hey, aren't those the two kids your brother saved this morning?" Mido chimed in, pointing into the room.

"Where?"

"There, by the wall."

Sure enough, a cluster of seven children stood huddled together by the wall next to this glittery woman's mask with long hair, ignoring their older caretakers and boredly taking in the room as they pestered each other.

"Poor kids, forced to hang out with creepy masks."

"Well, I'm out. You staying, Mido?"

"Yeah, I'll keep Malon some company until she's ready to join you in the Outer Islands room."

"Alright. Later, lover boy!"

"He's hopeless," Saria commented as they left the mask room behind and proceeded on towards the Outer Islands.

"Aw, I think his crush is cute," Aryll said in defense of their freckly male friend.

"It would be if he didn't also have one on me, and was trying to simultaneously woo us both," she grumbled darkly.

"So the boy has aspirations. Why can't he dream big?"

"I hate you right now."

Aryll laughed. "Whatever. Islands, ho!"

And with that triumphant shout, the two girls turned the corner into the section on the Outer Islands.

Aryll stopped short with a groan.

"Well, now!" came the snide voice of one Ralph Ambi as he stood leaning against the false wall of a pirate ship, grinning at Aryll and Saria. "You really ought to watch your language around the children, Aryll. You can't just go around calling your friends prostitutes in public!"

"Ralph," Saria said stiffly, "please go away."

"Go away?" he exclaimed in horror. "After waiting here all this time for you to show up?! Never! If my lady will not have me woo her in our carriage or the castle, then I must dazzle her with my charms upon the open seas!"

"Oh boy…"

"You do have to admire his persistence, though."

"What carriage?"

"I think he means the bus."

"Remind me not to visit the Castle exhibit…"

"Aw man, I was actually looking forward to that."

"Ralph," Aryll said, trying to keep her cool as she addressed the still blue-coated boy. "Believe it or not, you're actually the second-to-last person I want to see right now, and you're kinda ruining my trip. Can you please leave?"

"Second-to-last?" Ralph exclaimed, a look of delight on his face. "Moving up in the world, I see! Well, well, I knew you were beginning to warm up to me, dearest Aryll!"

"Oh, for the love of-"

"Dude, Ralph, check this out! I found you a present-"

Around the corner of the pirate ship came the figure of a blonde haired teen with cloudy gray eyes, wearing of all things an eye patch and a fake hook, and carrying a telescope. He stopped dead when his eyes (or eye) landed on Aryll, and the stupid childish grin slid off of his face.

"Oh."

Aryll clenched her fists and took a slow, calming breath.

Ralph took in the telescope held limply in Colin's hand with a resolute frown. "I don't find this humorous."

"Neither do I," Aryll grated darkly. "Ralph. I don't know why you thought it was a good idea for the two of you to wait for me here, and I don't want to know-"

"Whoa!" Colin said hastily, waving the hook and the telescope in the air defensively. "That's not-! I wasn't-! Aryll, I had no idea this is why he wanted to wait here so long-!"

"Alas, it is true!" Ralph exclaimed dramatically. "Foolish Colin was none the wiser of my true plans, which is to say, using him as a measuring stick to demonstrate unto you what a fine figure of romance and manliness I truly am."

"What did he just say?" Saria whispered disgustedly to Aryll, but she wasn't paying attention.

Colin had a thunderous look on his face. He smacked at Ralph's arm with the telescope, causing the ginger to yelp in pain. "Are you freaking kidding me right now?"

"What?!"

"Dude, seriously, back off of my girlfriend-!"

A white-hot flare of rage exploded in her chest.

"I'm _not_ your _girlfriend_, Colin!" Aryll snarled, and Ralph let out a snort of laughter.

"Haha! You were just soundly told-!"

"And _you_ don't have half a chance in _Subrosia_ with me, Ralph!"

He promptly shut up, looking offended.

"I don't need your constant signals, Ralph, it's never going to happen so just _back off!_ And you!" She jabbed her finger at Colin who looked genuinely terrified. "I _don't_ want you trying to protect me! I've_ never_ wanted you trying to protect me! What is wrong with you that you still haven't gotten that through your head yet?!"

Her one-time ex-boyfriend's mouth gaped open and closed like a fish, a crushed look in his eyes, but nothing came out.

Aryll's whole body was trembling, and she could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. Stupid Ralph and stupidly bringing stupid Colin into stupid everything…

"Just… Just leave me alone, alright? Seriously. Forever."

Trying to ignore the choked way her voice sounded, Aryll spun on the spot and stormed off, heedless of the strange looks people were giving her and only vaguely aware that Saria had rushed after her.

Looks like she wouldn't be reliving her childhood after all.

* * *

"You're looking a little excited there."

Link felt a grin split across his face as he turned to face his favorite teacher, Mr. Auru.

"Got me." He laughed. "Today was just so cool, and… well, I guess I'm kinda freaking out a bit that we're going to the _actual_ Sacred Grove. You didn't tell me this was on the schedule!"

Auru beamed proudly. "Well, I wanted to surprise you. It's a bit of a treat for me as well; it's been years since I've been down here to see it. You know, there really isn't another blade like it in the world. For all the weird looks I get being a history nerd, Hyrule really has one of the most fascinating pasts."

"True story."

Link and the rest of the class waited outside an old, rundown stonework building in the mossy outer garden. Apparently, the way the Sacred Grove worked was that only one group of visitors could enter at any given moment. The group, depending on their size, was gifted a certain amount of time to explore the Sacred Grove and visit the site's main attraction: the legendary Master Sword. The next group in line waited in the outer garden, where they were currently situated. The site itself closed at sundown, and up in the north at this time of year, the sun set around six.

It had taken longer than expected to gather everybody up and travel to the site, which was about an hour away from the museum, and Link had been terrified that the grounds would close before they arrived. As it was, they only had about fifteen minutes left before it did; they'd had to do some haggling to get a group as large as theirs was in before they shut the gates.

While they waited, Link stayed by Auru up near the front of the line, leaning against the cobbled, moss covered wall, along with Pr. Ezlo, one of the chaperones and Link's old English teacher and a few underclassmen. The rest of his friends were seated around the garden on boulders or benches or sitting under the trees, chatting away.

The first day at the museum was amazing. Link had spent the day with Marin, Medli, and Makar, exploring the sections on the Outer Islands, music, the masks from Termina, different swords and weapons, legends of the Hero from Holodrum and Labrynna, Gerudo culture, and the Picori. He'd tried to keep away from the more crucial sections of the Hero's tale, like the forest, the mountain, the lake, the cities in the sky, and the castle itself, though he wondered if there'd even be time to cover all of that tomorrow with Zelda.

Still, he'd had a really good time, even if all of his usual friends weren't with him. Every single mention of the Hero made his heart leap with excitement, and he almost felt like he half-remembered the things he was reading. Every legend, every reconstructed scene, every artifact allegedly connected to a past life made the back of his hand tingle, and at times he had to recheck his glove to make sure it wasn't shining again.

And Marin, Medli, and Makar were actually really cool; he'd had a lot of fun exploring the Islands with Marin, Makar knew a surprising amount about the Picori, and Medli… well, Medli wanted to go and visit the section on Kakariko's graveyard, but Link stayed away from that to save it for Zelda. They had fun trying on the fake masks though; there was a picture on her phone of her with a bird beak, Makar with a leaf over his eyes, and Link with a golden mask that make him look like a fancy skull. He had no idea how he hadn't ever interacted with them before today; they were newer students as of this school year, but he had a feeling they'd end the year as pretty good friends. Zelda would really like them.

Speaking of, he wished she'd just stayed with them today. Try as he might, he couldn't help the constant nagging that something had been missing, and he knew exactly what it was.

"So Link," Auru asked, drawing him out of his reverie, "what was your favorite thing you saw today?"

"Hmm… Probably the Legend of the Triumph Forks."

Auru barked out a laugh. "You actually believe they exist?"

He shrugged. "Why not? They have magical flutes, magical bags, magical sticks, magical bottles… why can't they have magical cutlery?"

"Fair point."

"What about you?"

"Me? Well I was just disappointed they haven't opened up the section of the King of Thieves yet. It's supposed to be spectacular."

"Meh, it'll be open tomorrow."

"True… but the Triumph Forks were really your favorite part? You know that's probably just a mistranslated legend, right?"

Link grinned. "My favorite part is about to happen, actually."

"Ahh, I see…"

With a rusted creak, the gate swung open to reveal an elderly, balding man with a respectably sized beard, white as the snow. His name badge read 'Rauru Luz, Curator'.

"Mr. Auru, was it?" he asked in a grandfatherly voice. "You may gather your students together and enter the Grove. Please remind them to use their inside voices and to refrain from roughhousing."

"Nothing to fear, Mr. Luz, they'll be on their best behavior." He offered Link a conspiratorial wink, and when the man's back had turned, he whispered, "It's like he thinks you're all crazy mid-schoolers…"

As Auru went to gather his peers, Link remained at the front of the line, bouncing animatedly on his toes like a child on Christmas day. He knew he was being a little silly, but he couldn't help himself. He was about to see a sword, HIS sword, the one thing that could relate to him in every one of his past lives' adventures aside from the other bearers of the Triforce pieces, the one thing that belonged indisputably to the Hero of Time… The Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, his eternal counterpart… his other half…

At that moment, a soft voice seemed to whisper through the breeze, tickling his hair and rustling the leaves as it passed.

_…your other half…_

Link placed a steadying hand on his temple and frowned, but it was like cupping water with his hands and before he could truly grasp it, the thought trickled away. Troubled, Link shook himself and focused. No time to be distracted – this was the single most exciting moment of his life, and he couldn't afford to miss it.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of students awkwardly shuffling into line and hushed whispers and giggles, Auru marched back to the front of the line and led them into the grove.

Just past the gate, they had to walk through an old stone walkway before arriving at the actual grove. They passed a few suits of armor, a few paintings and models of shields and scabbards that were hung on the walls, but Link paid them no mind; a focused energy was coursing through his body, and he wouldn't, couldn't allow himself to be distracted now.

Turning the corner, they left the makeshift walkway and entered the ruins of the grove, and Link felt his breath catch.

There it was, sitting on a raised platform, the old, weathered, moss-covered pedestal that bore his sacred blade: The Master Sword.

The blade itself was a dull silvery-grey, weather-beaten and dulled through the centuries. The cross-guard had lost a bit of its luster, the purple-blue faded with time, and the handle seemed to have lost the grooves that formed its grip. And yet in spite of its worn-down and dulled appearance, there was a quiet dignity about the old weapon; it gave off the vibe of a sleeping lion. Do what you would, but its power remained ever dormant within.

Before he knew what he was doing he'd stepped forward, his hand half-raised with every intention to grasp the handle and pull the blade from its bed. Luckily, he'd managed to catch himself and stepped back, flushing slightly and feeling spooked. _Come on, Link, control yourself…_

The grove itself was beautiful; the grass was neatly trimmed, but as for the rest it gave off the feeling of being wild and untamed. Collapsed rubble from ancient stone walls formed a rectangular box around the grove where the inner room of the temple had once stood that guarded the blade. The occasional moss-covered boulder lay strewn in the grass from where a pillar or two once stood, and you could see the remains of a large wall behind the pedestal, with what appeared to be a door or sculpture imbedded in it at one time but was now completely faded away. A gentle, shadowy light filtered down from the dying sun through the branches of numerous trees that stretched overhead. All around, the song of birds could be heard, and the occasional squirrel darted through the area, avoiding the human intruders.

As Link stared, enraptured, Mr. Luz walked to the front of the group, examined them all with a warm smile, and then began to speak.

"Welcome, children, to the Sacred Grove. For untold centuries, this hollowed land has sheltered perhaps the most sacred and important object in the history of our great land; the Master Sword. Blessed by the three goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, this Blade was gifted to the peoples of Hyrule to defend the holy land from the powers of evil.

"The Blade is best recognized as the constant companion to the Hero of Time; with it, the Hero has struck down the Evil King time after time, era after era, millennia after millennia… And even now, the Blade sleeps on, awaiting the hand of its chosen hero to call forth its power once more in defense of his people…"

Link was hanging on every word, captivated. From behind him, he thought he heard somebody whisper, "Dang, they go all out for the tourists, don't they? He makes it sound like it's real…"

"Now!" Mr. Luz continued, changing from his solemn, respectful tone to one that was light and jovial. "We're short on time, so we'll need to be quick. You are all invited to approach the blade, one at a time, and attempt to draw it. Flash photography is allowed, but please be respectful to the wildlife and those waiting behind you. There are a lot of you, so we'll need to move quickly."

"What?!" Link blurted out, caught off-guard, but his question was lost in the tumult of his classmates pushing forward eagerly to touch the sword.

"What?"

"We actually get to touch it?!"

"This is so cool! I'm sending my boyfriend a snapchat!"

As the rest of the teens shoved their way forward, Link hung back, feeling terrified. They were letting you try and pull the sword?! What sort of horrible idea was that?! What, was there no respect anymore for historical sites?! He couldn't pull that sword! He couldn't pull it because he _could_ pull it! It'd come right outta the pedestal and then what! Everybody would know he was the Hero of Time! This was a nightmare!

Trying the best to summon his innate ninja skills, Link skulked backward towards the wall, hoping the shade and the failing light would hide him despite his bright green shirt and khaki pants.

From the side, he heard Auru speaking to the curator of the Grove.

"People are allowed to touch it now? That's certainly different…"

"Recent change in policy," Mr. Luz grunted sourly. "Not my idea. Personally, I think it's an affront to our nation's history, but it certainly does draw in the younger crowds, and I suppose in the end it always comes back to money…"

Up ahead of him, Darunia was striking a dramatic pose while resting his hand on the pommel, his girlfriend Ruto squealing and taking pictures on her phone.

Still skulking in the shadows, Link began slowly inching towards the hall they'd come from, hoping to find a bathroom he could hide in.

Mr. Luz continued his diatribe. "Honestly, the sheer lack of disrespect… Well, I suppose it won't be coming out, but still…"

Sheik took Darunia's place by the sword, shaking his head at the silliness of it all, but he grasped the handle all the same, and at Midna and Aryll's requests, he flicked his hair back and flashed them his most ridiculous grin, laughing at their hoots and catcalls.

For a moment, Link almost thought he'd be able to escape the awkwardness of trying to create an excuse for why he wasn't trying to pull the blade, thanks to the amount of people vying for a place in line. To his immense misfortune, as Midna took her place and began performing hokey Hulk poses, she happened to glance upward and witness his epic failure at ninja-sneaking.

"Hey! Link! What're you doing way over there?! Get over here and take a picture pulling this sword! This is the moment you were born for!"

Link flinched. _Din blast you, Midna, and your overly perceptive ocular nerves… _

"Link!" his little sister cried elatedly, bursting from the crowd and seizing his arm. "Come on, this is so cool! The 'Hero' of Ordon can't run away from a sword!"

"Aryll!" Link squawked indignantly as his little sister began pulling him towards the sword. "Stop! Wait! No, I don't-"

"Come on, Link." Sheik laughed, snagging his other arm and helping Aryll tow him along. "If I had to do it, you have to do it."

"But-but-but-but-"

"No buts, Hero boy!" Midna cried savagely from her place on the altar, looking a great deal like a deranged religious leader before her thriving throng of cult members. "You are putting your hands on this pointy stick, and you are going to like it!"

Link's friends in the crowd let out a raucous cheer, and Link felt his stomach drop out. In desperation, he cast his mind about for a back door.

"Well- Wait! I-I mean, what about all the germs?!"

"The what?"

"Link. Shut your face, and come on."

"But… The others were in line first!"

"There's no line."

"But-!"

"Link, why are you freaking out?"

"He probably thinks the sword'll come out or something. Dude's head is fatter than Ruto's father."

With a grunt, he was shoved forward to stand next to Midna, who grinned up at him wickedly, placing one of her feet on the sword pommel and resting her elbow on her knee.

"Your sentence has been delivered, Hero," she intoned dramatically, and he heard Marin snigger hysterically from the crowd below. "Your fate… You must pull your sacred blade to best the beast!"

"Um…" he sweated nervously. "What beast?"

"Cthulhu the Elder God!" she roared into the heavens to the delight of their classmates.

"Down with Lovecraft!" Sheik added from the crowd.

"Freedom!" someone else added in a lilting accent.

"Look, guys, really, I'm fine, I don't need to…"

"Pull the sword!" Malon shouted from somewhere down below. Her cry caught on.

"Pull the sword! Pull the sword! Pull the sword!"

"Come on, Link! Hurry up, my arm's getting tired!" Aryll laughed, holding her phone aloft, her finger poised to capture the photo.

The easy thing to do would be to simply put his hand on the pommel and pretend to draw… but he knew he wouldn't be able to resist. Even now, he could feel that sinister part of him begging for him to reach out and grasp the handle. And that was the last thing he needed to be doing in front of all of his friends poised with cameras and phones with internet access.

In the sea of faces in the crowd, Link's eyes landed on Zelda. He felt relief break out inside of him; if anyone knew what to do, it was her. Shooting her a pleading look, he hoped to see her come up with an easy solution.

He wasn't expecting for her to glare at him coldly and say, "What's wrong, Link? Pull the sword."

"Yeah! Listen to your better half! Grab the blade and slay the beast!" Midna cried delightedly, and the chant continued.

"Pull the sword! Pull the sword! Pull the sword!"

Utterly baffled, Link tried again just to make sure Zelda hadn't misunderstood his look of desperation, but her façade didn't crack. Lost, Link prepared himself for the entirety of the world he knew to come crashing down around him.

"Alright, alright, enough!" bellowed a loud, irritable voice from the entrance to the grove. Glancing up, Link found himself staring at the face of his unlikely savior, Mr. Rauru Luz.

"Miss, if you please, remove your shoe from the blade." Midna complied with a pout. "As for the rest of you, the site is now closing. Please head towards the exit with your chaperones, and thank you for visiting the Sacred Grove!"

"Aw man! Link, you're such a party pooper!" Midna groaned, hopping off the altar and joining the crowd headed towards the door. With disbelief, Link followed, feeling drained. He tried to catch up to Zelda, but she was gone, presumably at the front of the crowd piling onto the bus. Sighing dejectedly, he felt a pensive frown form on his face.

…Why had Zelda done that?

* * *

_Aight, that's chapter two. I had my brother's look it over, so... well, I hope there aren't any mistakes, hahaha. _

_Chapter three is where the fun starts, ok? And if you want that out soon, leave me some inspirational reviews!_

_Til later, kiddos. Keep it Zesty._

_ZC_

_EDIT: my BETA got back to me! She's ok, and I've replaced this chapter with her revised edition. It's just little nit-picky stuff, but it ought to read a bit smoother now. Big thanks to her!_


	3. Misunderstandings

_Sorry about the delay, guys. Nasty surprise writer's block, but it's all well and good now. Chappy's up. I know it's only about half the length of of the last one, but don't be too upset; plot officially takes off at the end. _

_What are you still reading this intro note for?! Get on with the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Misunderstandings**

Feeling exhausted, yet knowing that rest was still hours away, Auru continued his patrol down the hallway of the Stock Pot Inn's fourth floor, fighting back a yawn that threatened to tear his face in two. Good Farore, he was tired… If only he hadn't volunteered for the first watch… He could be curled up in his bed, unconscious and snoring peacefully like the old man he was becoming… But somebody had to make sure none of the kids were sneaking out of their rooms, and it might as well start with him; the trip was his idea, after all.

Nabooru and Ezlo were helping him out with the first shift while Alfonso, Astrid, and the rest went ahead and got some sleep; they'd be taking over around two in the morning, at which time Auru would be getting that sleep he desperately craved…

Until then… he could really go for a cup of coffee.

As he turned a corner, heading towards the staircase that lead towards the barista on the ground floor, he caught sight of Ruto and Darunia attempting to sneak into Ruto's bedroom.

Goddesses preserve us, not already! It wasn't even nine yet!

"Hey!" he yelled, all-authority, quickening his pace and throwing on a disapproving scowl. "What do you two think you're doing?!"

Both teens jumped and shot Auru matching looks of chagrin, knowing they'd been caught.

"Uh, w-well, Roonie here was just helping me pick up this super heavy thing in my room, and…" Ruto began, in a valiant attempt to save face. Darunia caught on a second too late.

"Yeah, she just needed my help real fast, then I was gonna-"

"Yeah, no," Auru cut them off, feeling irritated. Honestly, how dim did they think he was? "No boys allowed on the girl's floor. You two know that. I repeated it several times. I'll let you go this once, just because I'm not in the mood to call anyone's parents and get anyone sent home, but you will either return to your individual rooms or head down to the first floor immediately, otherwise I'll be forced to get nasty. And if I catch either of you two trying to sneak off alone together again…"

He let the threat hang ominously in the air, and the two teens hastily made excuses and beat their retreat.

Sighing tiredly, Auru rubbed at his face. He didn't like playing the bad guy, but he didn't have a choice. He'd known since Darunia and Ruto had signed on for the trip that they'd attempt something like this; it was a good thing that the rest of the students were relatively trustworthy. Honestly, he wasn't really sure why they'd wanted to go in the first place. It was probably just because Link had been the one to organize the entire thing, and wherever Link went, the crowd tended to follow.

Continuing on his merry stroll towards the promise of a caffeinated stimulus, Auru began heading down the stairs towards the ground floor, only to bump into the subject of his thoughts on the third floor landing.

"Link!" Auru exclaimed brightly upon noticing his favorite pupil, only to furrow his brow a moment later in suspicion. "Where are you going?"

Link's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, clearly having not expected to see his teacher appear in front of him without warning, and said, "Oh, Mr. Auru! I was, uh… I was just looking for you, actually."

Auru quirked an eyebrow. "You were? For what?"

"Oh, I, um… I had a, uh, question about something that I saw today, and was just wondering if you could maybe answer it for me."

"You mean something from the museum?"

"Uh, well sorta…" He scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Actually, it's from the Sacred Grove. I was just wondering… does the Hero of Time have to have the Triforce of Courage to pull the sword? Like, how does the sword know when the Hero's hand touches it?"

Mr. Auru frowned thoughtfully, stepping away from the bottom stair to stand a little closer to Link and stroking his chin with a pensive motion.

"You know…" he mused quietly, "I actually have no idea. I'd assume it's because of magic or destiny or something… that the sword knows its master's hand, I mean, but as to whether he needs the Triforce to pull it… I'm really not sure. Perhaps we can find the answer to your question tomorrow when we head back to the museum, eh?"

"Oh, sure. Okay," Link said, nodding in affirmation, and the two continued to stand there, staring at each other.

"So…"

"Um…"

"Where are you-?"

"Oh, I was just headed downstairs," Link cut in hastily, forcing a laugh and refusing to make eye contact.

"Uh huh…" Auru replied, but before he could interrogate Link any further, his phone began to ring.

"One second, Link," Auru murmured, pulling out his phone and glancing at the name.

_Rusl Smith…_

"I'm sorry, Link, I need to take this," Auru said, pressing the answer button and holding the phone to his ear as he stepped past Link into the third floor corridor where the boys' rooms were located.

"No problem! I'll catch you later, Mr. Auru!" Link said quickly and darted into the stairwell. With his back turned, Auru didn't notice Link ascend the staircase.

"Hello?"

"Auru! It's me, Rusl," came the voice of Auru's old college buddy, Rush Smith, Ordon's current Chief of Police. "How's it going? I'm just calling to check up on the kids and make sure nothing suspicious is going on."

"We're fine, Rusl. The kids were all perfectly behaved. In fact, I think Link's idea worked wonderfully; they all seem to be in high spirits, and I haven't heard one mention of the shooting all day."

"Good, good," Rush mused from the other end. "Well, that's a relief. All was quiet here in Ordon today, though to be honest, I wasn't expecting anything to go down. Still, we were extra staffed, just to be safe. You can't be too careful."

"Mmm," Auru responded, stifling another yawn. Rusl laughed from the other end of the line.

"Those kids tuckering you out, Auru?"

"You have no idea…" he moaned, slumping against a wall and running his free hand through his hair. "And I'm up first for watch duty to make sure they keep their hormones in check."

"Well, you'll be good at that. You were always a wet blanket."

"Thanks," he replied dryly.

"Anyway, I'm off; Uli heated up the leftovers for me, and I'm famished. Give me a call if anything out of the ordinary happens, will you? Oh, and if Colin gives you any trouble, feel free to smack him one. It isn't abuse; you're practically his uncle."

"Will do, Rusl. Have a nice night."

"You too, Auru."

With a click, the line went dead, and Auru stared at the phone for a moment, thinking quietly to himself. Finally, after another yawn, Auru continued his journey down the stairs on his noble quest for artificial stimulant, musing idly about how the Hero of Time had survived in his various quests before the introduction of the coffee bean to Hyrule. Poor guy must have had a rough life.

* * *

Zelda lay propped up against the headrest of her bed, both pillows tucked neatly behind her back to provide support as she stared without seeing at the book in her hands, trying to get some headway on her reading assignment for English. Trying was the keyword, however; no matter how hard she focused on the page before her, she couldn't seem to retain any information. Her thoughts kept turning back to what had happened earlier that day at the museum.

He'd ditched her. He'd actually ditched her. She'd left him that morning at the fountain after he'd single-handedly destroyed months of meticulous planning for their 'special weekend' to make the new girl feel included or whatever, and she'd done so operating under the understanding that he'd come and get her once he was done. It wasn't until they'd begun loading onto the bus at the end of the day that she accepted that he'd stood her up.

She'd been forced to spend the entire day exploring the museum on their past lives with Kafei, Anju, and Cremia instead of her boyfriend; nothing against Kafei and Anju, who were two of her best friends in the entire world, but despite Kafei's promise, she did still feel kinda third-wheelish. Thankfully they'd brought Cremia, who Zelda hadn't met before, though she was surprised to discover that the two got along rather well. She was like a cross between Anju and Malon, equal parts adventurous farm girl and motherly big sister, and the two had a fun time together examining the displays and teasing Kafei and Anju behind their backs.

Still, she hadn't managed to stop herself from dwelling on Link's absence, and as the day dragged on, the more irritated she grew. She still felt bad about letting her annoyance get to her when she'd refused to help Link in his little predicament at the grove a couple hours earlier, but part of her felt vindicated in having done so. It did her vengeful side some good to see him flail without her help, and it's not like there was any real danger; Link was just overreacting. It's not like he actually _had_ to pull when he put his hand on the hilt, like destiny or some other supernatural force or something was going to take control of his body and force him to yank it from the pedestal. He could have just faked it, right? It's not like anything bad would have happened because she'd let her anger rule her actions and left him to sink or swim on his own…

Right?

Zelda frowned heavily at the page before her, trying to sweep her consternation and anxiety under the rug and focus on her book. Ok, no more thinking about Link. No more boys, no more drama, no more stupid nonsense that'll distract her from her homework assignment. She was not going to be that tacky, cliché teenage girl who whined and moaned about the things her boyfriend may or may not have done. She was better than that – she was Zelda, bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, the Princess of Destiny, and as old as time itself, Din blast it! She would rise above! She would be calm, and wise, and mature, and-

A sudden loud groan broke through her inner ranting, and Zelda peeked curiously over the top of her book to examine her roommate. Midna lay sprawled out on her back over the foot of Zelda's bed, her pale legs hanging over either side of the corner so that her combat boots didn't touch Zelda's bedspread. Her belly button was peeking out beneath the hem of her black tank top which had ridden up in all her tossing and turning, and her hair fanned around her like a fiery black halo as she scowled darkly up at the book she was holding in front of her face, one she was no doubt reading for her mother's book club, looking for all the world as frustrated as Zelda felt

"I mean, really!" she suddenly blurted out, gesturing violently with the book and talking to no one in particular, even though only Zelda was there to hear. "Why is it that every time two chicks are alone together in a book, they have to be talking about a guy? What, is there nothing better to talk about? Are they too vapid and insecure to realize that there are fifty other plot-related things they could and probably _should_ be discussing before their stupid, non-existent, and shallow love lives?"

Pushing herself up on one arm without breaking stride, Midna turned and locked her gaze on Zelda, looking infuriated.

"But no, of course not – women are the weaker sex! A woman's thoughts and opinions could never be focused on anything other than the trivial and mundane! Never mind that the whole Din-blasted world is coming to an end, and the veritable apocalypse has descended upon us to carry us all away into the night! But I guess that just goes to show how our depraved society still views women, as if we were little more than embellishments intended to make men look better. Well, not me! No way, I could go a whole day without talking about a guy! No – two! A week! Ha, I don't need _any_ men to make me feel important! I am woman, hear me slay the light-forsaken dragon and save the universe by my own petite self, so help me Farore! You with me, Zelda?!"

Zelda grunted noncommittally and returned to her book.

Midna nodded savagely and hurled the book across the room where it smacked against the far wall and landed beside their tiny trashcan. She then flopped back to her initial position with a final, "Yeah! Woo! Girl power – get some!"

There was a moment's pause in which Zelda attempted to return to her book.

"So… What's up?" Midna asked nonchalantly, clearly bored now that lost her only other source of entertainment.

Zelda let her own novel drop into her lap and said, without preamble, "I think I hate my boyfriend."

Groaning softly, Midna covered her eyes with her hand and mumbled, "I hate you so much right now…"

"Midna, this is serious!" Zelda exclaimed, exasperated, and Midna rolled her eyes.

"No it isn't. You're just going through your first lover's spat."

"This is not our first disagreement, Midna. Don't patronize me," she said flatly, setting the book on her side table and pulling her legs up so she was sitting cross-legged. Midna rolled onto her side and placed her head in her hand.

"Okay, yeah, but it's the first time you didn't make up like two seconds later. Look, Zelly, I hate to say it but… I told you this was going to happen."

It was Zelda's turn to roll her eyes. "Mid, he's _not_ cheating on me."

"I didn't say he was – not yet, anyway."

"Midna, this is Link we're talking about! He'd sooner go out with Ralph than go out with some other girl behind my back!"

"I know!" she said, flopping back onto her back and throwing her hands into the air. "He's Link, the Boy Wonder, denser than a crowd of platinum blondes at a Starbucks iced latte sale… but that doesn't mean that every other girl in the world is equally as thick."

Zelda moaned, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"What I'm saying, dearest sister of mine, is that for reasons that apparently every female in the world minus me and Aryll can see, Link is hot stuff. For ninety-nine percent of them, it's just cause he's popular after the incident last year, but that doesn't stop them from testing the waters and waiting for the opportune moment to try and steal him from you."

"Midna-"

"No, Zel, hear me out," the petite girl cut in, finally righting herself and mirroring Zelda's position with a rare look of sincerity on her face. "Link is a good guy; he's been my best friend for nearly forever, and he cares about you; I know he does. He wouldn't ever hurt you intentionally. But, you know… sometimes, me and the others, we like to tease you two about being an 'old married couple', and there's kind of a reason for that… I dunno, maybe, even if it's just subconsciously, Link likes all the flirting and attention that he's getting from Marin. You two never really went through a honeymoon stage, you just sort of… clicked, like you'd been together forever, which is great and all but…" she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe he's just basking in the moment… but if you're not careful, little things can turn into bigger things that can ruin relationships."

Zelda stared quietly at Midna's expectant face, mulling carefully over her words. "So what is it you're saying, exactly?"

A wicked grin split across her face. Leaping to her feet, bouncing lightly on the mattress, Midna struck a dramatic pose with one hand on her hip and the other held aloft as if clinging to a heroic blade. "You have to fight for your man, Zelda! For the sake of your happiness and your sanity, you must show him, and all the disgusting scavenging teenage girls around us that he is_ your_ man and _nobody_ else's, and he will _never_ be anybody else's until you say so! Defend your turf, woman!"

Despite the situation, Zelda found herself smiling stupidly at her best friend. In all honesty, Midna had some good advice every now and again, when she remembered she was human and not a demon sent to torture humanity. Still, ignorant as her best friend was about certain aspects of Zelda and Link's relationship, she couldn't grasp the entirety of why Zelda was angry at her boyfriend… but she was grateful nonetheless.

"Now," Midna continued, seeing that her little speech had at least brightened up her best friend's mood, "let's go downstairs and show that blonde spaz and his new ginger attaché that Zelda Nohanson means business!"

Zelda blanched as Midna snatched her hand and attempted to drag her off the bed and out into the hall.

"Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa, Midna, wait! We're _not_ doing this right now!" she screeched, snatching at the bed post and anchoring herself to her bed.

"Why… not…?" Midna grunted, tugging for all her tiny body was worth.

"Because… I'm too… angry… to be rational…"

"To the pit with rationality!" she cried, cackling madly, when there was a knock at the door.

The two girls exchanged blank looks before Midna shrugged and dropped her friend back down on the bed and sauntered off to answer it.

"Wait, Midna!" Zelda called out, hastily repositioning herself on the bed, but before she could tell her not to open the door, she heard the telltale click of the doorknob and the swish of carpet as Midna greeted the person at the door.

"Well hey, Link!" Midna chirped in overly enthusiastic joy, and Zelda felt her blood run cold.

"Hey, Mid," Zelda's boyfriend laughed nervously from out in the hallway, conveniently located around a corner that prevented Zelda from seeing him. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"What, am I not allowed to be happy?" Midna shot back, cocking her hip out to the side and scowling at the taller boy.

"Happy, yes. Bubbly, no. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just chatting it up with Zelly. But don't worry!" she added, cutting Link off as he started to respond, "I was just leaving. You and Zelda can have the whole room to yourselves, you dirty little scamps, you."

Zelda felt her face flush crimson as Midna flashed her a quick wink and mouthed, 'you'll thank me later' before slipping past a stuttering Link and vanishing down the hallway, her cackling laughter echoing off the halls.

Hissing softly, Zelda hastily tugged the comforter of her bed up over her legs despite her jeans and tucked her hair behind her ear, schooling her feelings before Link could see how Midna's comment had affected her. Snatching 'Wuthering Heights' from off the side table, she opened it to a random page and began pretending to read right as Link trudged slowly into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft snap.

Silence stretched on as Link regarded Zelda quietly though his messy bangs; Zelda remained resolutely focused on the book in her hand. Seconds turned into minutes, and the only sound that could be heard was the soft hum of the air conditioner. Zelda turned a page idly, trying her best to appear aloof.

After what felt like an eternity, Link cleared his throat.

She ignored him, feeling irritated that he thought clearing his throat was an adequate way of getting her attention. He cleared his throat again, and she continued ignoring him, allowing herself to settle more comfortably against the pillows she was resting on.

Finally, Link sighed and stepped closer to the bed, tucking his thumbs into the pockets of his khaki cargo pants and examining Zelda critically. "Zelda… are you okay?"

An unexpected flare of anger exploded in her chest, and she shot him a look over the top of her book. Link frowned in that way he had when being told he was going to have to do something unpleasant.

"Alright," he grunted sourly, sitting down by her feet and fixing her with a flat look. "What did I do?"

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked lightly, turning another page even though not enough time had lapsed for her to have possibly read the one she was on. This wasn't good; her irritation with him was only growing.

"Come on, Zel, don't be like that. You've been short with me ever since the Grove earlier, but you're gonna have to give me a hint or something, cause I don't know what I need to do to make things right."

She stopped herself from snorting. Give him a hint? How was it that he didn't know what he did? What, did he suddenly forget about the marking he was hiding beneath the glove on his hand and the implications it held for the two of them? Had he forgotten that today marked the anniversary of a nightmare the two of them had nearly given their lives to correct? Had he forgotten that they'd helped to plan this entire trip for the sole purpose of spending time together learning more about the past they shared?

The answer to the last was fairly obvious, but she didn't want to just come out and say that, knowing that it'd likely start a shouting match and that Link would simply begin making up excuses for his behavior; she didn't want to have to deal with that right now. In any event, she wanted him to acknowledge that he'd stood her up. She wanted him to be sorry about it without her forcing him to feel that way. Just that and a firm promise that he wouldn't let anyone come between them tomorrow and she could let the whole thing go. Was that really so much to ask?

When she didn't answer right away, Link groaned and collapsed onto his back, lying perpendicular to Zelda. For a moment, she was reminded that Link and Midna had been friends since childhood; they shared a lot of the same mannerisms.

"Zel… look, I'm sure this is one of those problems where I just did something stupid, and you want me to come out and tell you what it is, but… I'm drawing a blank here. Can't you just nudge me in the right direction?"

She met his pleading stare with a flat one of her own, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. His green shirt was a little wrinkled; he'd probably taken a nap upon returning to the hotel. He was always looking for an excuse to slack off.

"Okay, fine. Forget that, then. I'll figure this out on my own. But while I'm here, can you answer something else for me? What was that all about in the Grove earlier? Why didn't you have my back?"

Closing the book with a snap, Zelda met his questioning look with a coolly arched eyebrow, her lips drawn to a thin line.

Link continued. "I mean, what would have happened if I'd drawn the sword? Zelda, the peace we fought so hard for last year would have just… totally fallen apart on us. Everyone would have known I was the Hero of Time, and you were the Princess of Destiny. Was whatever I did really worth risking that?"

Something close to guilt settled in her gut, but she shoved it away. The answer to that was obviously no. She knew it, and he knew it, but there wasn't any point in voicing that aloud. It would just undermine her anger. Instead, she found herself saying, "Why didn't you just get Marin to help you?"

_Bad response. _She felt her cheeks turn pink as soon as she said it, and she snapped her mouth closed, regretting her words instantly. _Should not have said that, should not have said that, should not have said that…_ Curse Midna for putting thoughts into her head! That was stupid and puerile and only vaguely connected to the problem at hand! What on earth had possessed her to utter those words!?

She could see the sudden wrong comprehension blooming across Link's face, and she had to clench her fists to stop herself from strangling him.

"Oh…"

_No, not 'oh'!_ Goddesses, she could be an idiot sometimes!

"Zelda, you can't… I didn't… Light, Zel, I didn't mean to ruin your day; I just wanted to make the new girl feel more welcome."

Nayru, but he sounded sincere… And the worst part was, he really _was_ being sincere. From his point of view, he was just helping somebody in need, and that was all the reasoning Link needed. Why, then, couldn't he see things the way she did?

He was still talking. "I promise you, nothing was going on. We were never alone together, we stayed with her friends, we only visited the less-important rooms so I could save the other rooms for us tomorrow… Zelda, you have to believe me, I'm not… There isn't anything between me and Marin."

It was time to steer this conversation back in the proper direction, but she was so mad at him and flustered at herself and her stupid mouth that she couldn't get the proper words out.

"No, Link, that's not… this isn't about that at all-"

"Then what is this about? Zel, come on, I wanna fix this-"

"Where were you today?" she cut him off, unable to keep the anger from straining her voice, and Link started back, caught off guard.

"W-what? I… You know where I was, I was-"

"Why didn't you come and find me?" He looked confused, and she tossed her head in frustration, trying to keep her composure. "You promised me you'd come and get me when you were done. You never came. Where were you?"

Link's mouth worked silently, an alarmed expression on his face, and Zelda pressed on. "I mean, we only planned on making this trip together for the last few months so that you and I could learn a thing or two about the people we used to be and the lives we used to live together. Forgive me for wanting to share this experience with you-"

"I wanted you to come!" Link blurted out, raising his voice in self-righteous anger. "I invited Marin to spend time with you and me, the both of us! I wanted you to be there!"

"Well, excuse me for wanting to keep this between the two of us!" Zelda bellowed back, infuriated. "I mean, I realize it's a public museum and all, but that doesn't mean that other people are getting the same things out of this that we are! All I wanted was one day for the two of us, but you just had to go and be the hero again!" Zelda felt her throat begin to close up, but she fought to keep her voice steady and hide her emotions behind her anger.

"So what, I was supposed to leave the new girl all alone and friendless? That doesn't seem particularly heroic to me, Zelda-"

"_To the pit with being a hero!_" Zelda snarled, slashing her hand across the air, causing those little sparkles she'd managed to form the other day to fizzle through the air like New Year's fireworks. Link looked startled, but Zelda ignored them, pressing on. "Din, for _one day_ can't you forget about being the hero and remember that you're my boyfriend?! Just one day! One day, Link, that's all I wanted, just…"

Oh Nayru, she was crying… that wasn't supposed to happen! Come on, Zelda, pull it together! But it was too late; she could feel the tears starting to leak out down her cheeks and all of her anger fell away.

"It's just… for once, I wanted this to be just you and me… I didn't want to have to share you with anyone…"

Silence pervaded the hotel room again as Zelda examined Link through her tears, and Link stared solemnly at the bedspread. She could see guilt showing through on his face now, but it was too little too late. She knew the trip had effectively been ruined for the two of them, but as a couple… As a couple, they'd be fine. They just needed some time to calm down.

Looking defeated, Link's mouth formed the beginning of an apology, but Zelda quickly shook her head, dismissing it. No apologies were needed, as long as they understood each other.

Sighing, Link half stepped as though to go, but then paused and turned back to her, not quite meeting her eyes; he always said he couldn't stand seeing her cry. With a discomfited shrug, he mumbled, "I came up cause everyone's downstairs in the lobby getting ready to play cards… They said they didn't want to start without you."

Zelda took a breath to steady herself as she carefully wiped at the corners of her eyes, trying to pull herself back together. "Tell them I'm turning in early tonight."

He nodded mutely and walked slowly to the door, looking for all the world like a man who'd just been given a death row sentence. As he pulled the door shut behind him, he paused for a moment and half looked like he was about to say something… But then the door closed, and Zelda was alone.

Zelda plopped back against her pillow, feeling drained. She hated fighting with Link; it almost never happened, because for all that she liked to complain about his laziness, he was actually quite sweet and considerate… But he was also human, which made him imperfect, which meant that he made mistakes every now and again, and she had to learn to deal with them when they came…

She was the same way. Link showed remarkable patience with her, and she loved him for it, but… Din, there was something about him that made her feel like an insecure teenage girl. Maybe that should have been normal, considering that she was, in fact, a teenage girl, but ever since she'd received the Triforce of Wisdom, she'd become accustomed to being the calm, wise, level-headed, and intuitive human being that all of her friends had come to rely on.

Why, then, did she find herself making so many mistakes when it came to Link? She'd made several that day, to be sure. Why didn't her Wisdom come to her when she really needed it? She yanked the glove off of her right hand and examined the glowing triangles with no little derision. Perhaps it was because Link's own Triforce piece cancelled hers out…? But no, Link himself had told her how his Courage seemed to react to her that day one year ago in the principal's office. Whatever it was, Zelda hated it. It seemed unfair that her blessing assisted her in every other aspect of life but the one she cared the most about. You'd think that female goddesses would want to help their disciples have perfect love lives.

Well… She'd leave that for another time. Slipping her glove back on, she switched off the lamp beside her and lay back onto her bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. She was in a predicament; she'd told Link she was going to sleep, meaning she couldn't leave the room without risking another conversation with him, which she wasn't emotionally ready for at the moment… and yet, she also wasn't tired anymore. She sighed, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness… It looked like she was in for a few hours of useless brooding over her and Link's fight. Lovely.

After a few minutes, Zelda pushed herself back up, thinking that maybe she'd be able to distract herself with a nice hot shower when there was another knock at the door. Zelda groaned; the only person she could stand to see right now was Midna, but she had a key card and wouldn't have been knocking… which could only mean that either Link was back, or one of their friends had come to 'check up on her'… Her money was on Aryll.

Flipping the light back on, Zelda made for the door and prepared herself to force a cheerful smile and tell whoever it was that she was getting ready to shower and would talk to them later when she peeked through the peephole and saw the ever-gloomy countenance of one Colin Smith.

Zelda blinked in surprise, then opened the door.

"Colin?"

"Hey, Zelda," he replied monotonously, his gaze glued to the carpet. "How's it going?"

"Um… not so great. Looks like you're having a wonderful evening yourself."

He chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, you could say that… You busy?"

Zelda bit her lip as she considered telling him that she was, thank you very much, and shutting the door in his face, but wound up sighing and opening the door wider, letting him in.

"Aryll problems?"

"How'd you guess?" he snorted darkly, and Zelda gave a rueful shake of her head as she shut the door behind him.

"I guess it's just bad relationship day all around for the Hero's," she replied dully, and Colin shot her a quizzical look, only to notice the redness in her eyes and her general crestfallen demeanor

"Oh Din… Zelda, are you crying?!"

"Was, Colin. Past tense." She still felt a little insecure admitting that she'd been crying, at least to Colin. "Me and Link just had a spat, that's all. We're fine."

Colin nodded, looking torn between wanting to defend Zelda and the possibility of admitting that his idol Link was less than perfect. Deciding to spare him having to choose between them, Zelda changed the topic.

"So, what'd she do this time?" she asked, plopping down on Midna's bed for a change and patting the spot beside her. Colin eased himself down with a sigh, looking despondent.

"Nothing… well, not really. She's angry with me because I tried defending her from Ralph today at the museum, and… w-well, I may have accidentally called her my girlfriend."

"Ah…" Zelda replied, though to be honest she wasn't too invested in Colin's story. The way she saw it, she'd already given him the advice he needed; he just hadn't been ready to take it yet. All he wanted was for someone to listen to him and sympathize with his problems, and that at least she could do. After all, misery did love company, and you couldn't get much more miserable than the two of them.

Before she could work up a better response than 'ah,' however, they were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing from where she'd left it charging next to the TV on the dresser. Shooting Colin a 'hold on' look, she hopped to her feet and walked toward the phone, enjoying the feel of her socks swishing on the carpet before snatching it up. She decided to check who was calling before just silencing outright; she had been a little moody that evening.

_Anju Potts… I wonder what she wants…_

"Just a sec, Colin, I think I need to take this… Hello?"

"Zelda?"

"Hey Anju, what's up?"

"Um… W-well, it's just… I just needed to talk to someone, um… do you think you could come down for a moment?"

There was something strange about Anju's tone; she sounded shaky, like she was scared or something. Colin must have noticed the worry on Zelda's face, because he shot her a frown as if to ask what was wrong. She shook her head and turned to examine her reflection in the mirror as she answered the older girl on the phone.

"Well… what do you mean, come down? Are you here? Anju, are you ok, you don't sound…"

"I'm in the parking lot," she answered quietly. Something was definitely up. "I know you're probably not supposed to leave the building or anything, but… Nayru, Zelda, I just really need to talk to you right now… I'm in a white Subaru. My lights are on. Can you come down, just for a second?"

"I…" Zelda began, thinking about how much trouble she'd get in if Auru or Nabooru caught her sneaking into the parking lot, but the tone of Anju's voice cemented her resolve. "… Yeah, hun. I'll be down in just a sec, okay? … okay, bye."

"What's up?" Colin asked, clearly concerned.

"I dunno," Zelda answered, stuffing her feet into her shoes by the door and snatching her bag from off the chair in the corner. "Anju just called. She says she's in the parking lot and wants to talk to me. She didn't say what's up, but she sounds like she's been crying."

Colin got slowly to his feet, looking uncomfortable. "Um… I thought we weren't supposed to leave the hotel…?"

"We're not, Colin, but my friend needs my help, ok?" Zelda shot back, feeling irritated. Din, but that boy needed a backbone…

"Ok, but… can I come with you?"

Zelda stopped, her hand poised on the handle, ready to turn, and shot a surprised look over her shoulder. "Uh… why?"

He shrugged and mumbled sheepishly, "Well, I don't have anything better to do."

Zelda thought about it for a moment, then jerked her head towards the door as if to say, 'well come on then!'

The two teens crept down the hallway silently, doing their best to not draw attention to themselves, but it wound up not mattering because nobody passed them in the hallway or on the stairwell that they'd opted to take in lieu of the elevator so as to better avoid detection from teachers. Reaching the ground floor, Zelda cautiously poked the swinging glass door open and peered out into the dark, poorly lit parking lot. There didn't seem to be anybody out there… the white Subaru sat three rows away with its engine running, the lights illuminating a row of hedges that separated the parking lot from the highway that still buzzed with heavy traffic. Castleton never slept.

Signaling to Colin, Zelda slipped out into the chilly night air, the wind mussing her hair as she sprinted towards the car, hearing Colin follow right behind her. She was panting by the time she arrived at the car, which was ridiculous because it really wasn't that far away, though she chalked it down to 'dramatics' more than to her being out of shape, simply because it made her feel better. Snatching at the door handle, Zelda hopped into the passenger seat and let out a relieved breath after slamming the door shut behind her. Success!

As Colin scrambled into the seat behind her, Zelda turned to flash a smile at Anju, only to feel it die on her face. Anju looked like a wreck; her eyes bloodshot from crying, hair a mess, skin pale, and she was trembling all over. She still tried for a smile, but it was weak and frankly pathetic, and only served to make Zelda more worried.

"Din, Anju, what's wrong?!" Zelda asked, voice hushed, snatching up the girl's hand in her own in an attempt to calm her. Colin was still wheezing in the backseat, staring wildly out the window as if he expected Ezlo to come hobbling out after them, shouting threats to have them all expelled.

"I-I'm fine," Anju tried, but Zelda shot her a warning look that had the older girl cutting off with a hiccup.

"Anju, you didn't drive over here this late at night and ask me to sneak out of my hotel and risk suspension just to shoot the breeze. Now, tell me what's wrong."

"I-it's just... I…"

"… Anju?"

"… Have you spoken to Kafei?"

Zelda blinked. "Um… no, not since we left you guys at the museum to go visit the Grove… Why, did something…?"

Tears were welling up in Anju's eyes again, and Zelda felt worry blossom inside of her.

"Z-Zelda, I-I don't… I don't know what to do, Kafei… K-Kafei's missing…"

* * *

Laughing, Link slapped the deck against the table and scooped his newly shuffled cards into his hand, sorting through them and slapping Sheik's arm away as he tried to sneak a look at his hand.

"Hey guys," came Mr. Auru's voice as he approached the table in the hotel's lobby from the direction of the elevators, looking a little harassed. "Try and remember to keep it down, okay? We don't need you getting us all kicked out on our first night."

"Aw, come on, Auru!" Midna chirped from her seat between Aryll and Saria at their round table. "We're just a bunch of rambunctious, crazy, adrenaline-fueled teenagers screaming at the top of our lungs and gambling over vending machine snacks late into the night. Who could possibly have a problem with that?"

Snorting, Link winked in response to Auru's disgruntled expression and called out over the hubbub, "Auru, come join us!"

"Yeah, come play!"

"We haven't started this round yet; we'll deal you in!"

"I see your pants and raise you my double stuff Oreos!"

"Mr. Hero, you seem to be perspiring rather intensely. Maybe you should call it quits for tonight," came the authoritative voice of Vice Principal Nabooru, walking over to join Auru beside Link's table.

"I am?" Link asked, confused. Laughing, Marin pulled a card off the top of the deck and stuck it to his forehead, where it stayed due to the thin layer of perspiration, and the whole table exploded in laughter.

"Aw, come on, Nabooru!" Link chuckled, shoving Sheik off once again and chucking a package of M&M's to Ralph at the end of the table. "It's just good fun. Why don't you join too? We could use a poker face like yours."

"Excuse me?" she drawled, raising a solitary eyebrow in perfectly executed disdain, but Link merely laughed all the harder. Din, but he was in a good mood. Only one thing was missing, and she was holed up in her room three floors above him, avoiding him. Well… he'd find some way to fix that later. No use in dwelling on that all night and ruining everyone's fun.

Through the hustle and bustle of excited teens, Link caught sight of two police officers entering the hotel through the front entrance and approaching the check-in desk, exchanging words with the receptionist, flashing a photograph.

"Link, hurry up!" called Medli, Marin's orchestra friend, from the far end of the table. "Start the round before Makar eats all my Starburst!"

"Okay, okay!" he called, trying to appease his peers. At the desk, the lady turned her head slowly towards the table where Link and his friends were sitting and the two cops followed suit, severe looks on their faces.

"Hey Link, what's…?" Sheik trailed off, his eyes having followed Link's gaze and noticed the two cops heading towards them. The sound around the table slowly faded as everyone else began to notice the approaching officers. Their dumbfounded expressions finally caught Auru and Nabooru's attention, and the two teachers turned to look right as the officers arrived at the table.

"Evening, folks," said the first, an older man wearing ugly '80s aviator sunglasses and a black police uniform, the shirt of which appeared to be too small for his body. The second, who was shorter and had a silly handlebar mustache, examined the other students at the table distrustfully.

"Um, good evening, officer. Can I… help you with something?"

"You are?"

"I'm these students' teacher, Mr. Auru. And this is their vice principal, Ms. Nabooru."

Nodding to the two, the first officer allowed his gaze to drift past them and focus on Link's. "Is there a Mr. Link Hero staying at this hotel with you?"

He felt rather than saw every head at the table turn to look at him. The card flopped off his forehead and landed on the table.

"I, uh…" Auru fumbled, confused, and Link slowly raised his hand.

"Can I help you?" he asked nervously. Din, why were the cops there? Had someone really called them in because they were too loud? Wouldn't they have gone to the hotel management first? Or did this have something to do with them playing cards? Maybe someone in the hotel thought they were gambling for money or something and that was illegal in Castleton for minors... That made sense, right?

Stepping past the two baffled faculty members, the officers regarded Link critically.

"You're Link Hero?"

"Yes?"

"Mr. Hero," said the first, suddenly reaching for his belt, "you're under arrest for the theft of private property from the Museum of Natural History."

The table broke out in an uproar, and a baffled Link Hero was hauled to his feet.

* * *

_Aight, there you go guys. Chapter Three, just for you's. Hope y'all had a happy 4th, and if you're not American, I hope you blew something up anyway, just because._

_Big giant thanks for my friggin' awesome editor! She's my hero. Word. _

_More reviews means faster updates! Let me know what you think: Is the little bump in the road named 'Marin' anything worth worrying about in the dynamic duo's romance? Where do you think Kafei got off to? And what the flip is going down with Link?_

_All these questions and more possibly maybe kinda sorta hinted at next time... on FROM THE DUST! Dun dun dunununun!_

_haha, Keep it Zesty guys._

ZC.


	4. Rule Breaking

_Hey guys, sorry for the wait; my poor editor's been under the weather lately and hasn't been able to get my chapter back to me yet, but I was bored and sick of waiting so I decided to go ahead and update. I'll replace this with the better version as soon as she gets it back to me, but for now, just ignore any typos that may have slipped my notice._

_EDIT: Yay, she got back to me! Ok, this is officially the more-better version, so scratch what I just said and tell me if you spot anything that may have slipped mine and Eva's eyes._

Oh, and mad-thanks for my home skillet biscuit LEva114, my beautiful and esteemed BETA lady person thing, who takes all of my grade-school quality chapters and makes them bearable. She da real MVP. 

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Rule Breaking**

"This is ridiculous!" Sheik snarled, slamming his drawer shut violently and rattling the television perched atop it. He shot the lamp a scathing look but managed to stop himself from hurling it out the window. Barely.

"Calm down, Sheik…" his girlfriend muttered absently from her perch on his bed where she'd been meshing with her cell phone for the past few minutes, a heavy frown on her face.

"Calm down?! _Calm down?!_ Din, how in light's name am I supposed to calm down, Midna? Link just got arrested, for Farore's sake!"

The room's third occupant, Aryll Hero, gave an unintelligible whimper from her older brother's bed where she was curled up protectively into a ball, her figure mostly obscured by his comforter. She'd been basically silent since she'd come in, trying and failing to not cry into the hotel's fluffy cream colored pillows.

"I'm aware, thank you. I was sitting right next to you when it happened." Midna said dryly, all attention still focused on her phone, and Sheik felt his rage skyrocket to nuclear levels once more.

Spinning on the spot and grabbing fistfuls of his hair to stop himself from snatching something off the desk and lobbing it at the wall to let off steam (Midna hadn't been too happy with him when he did it the first time. Thankfully, they were just hangers; he came this close to chucking the coffee maker instead), Sheik paced the length of the room a couple times breathing erratically through his nose before pausing before the tall standing mirror on the far wall and examining his crazed reflection.

For the most part, he looked normal… except for his mussed hair and haggard expression, and the crease in his brow that made him appear mentally deranged. For the first time, he wasn't irritated to see his blood-red Sheikah irises. They seemed to fit his mood for once, fiery and unyielding, and he absently wondered if the gorgons of legend weren't really based off of the Sheikah as well…

What an utterly bizarre twist of fate. Here they were, one year from the anniversary of the blackest moment of Sheik's entire life, the moment that ought to have resulted in his permanent incarceration for the remainder of his sorry, pathetic excuse for an existence, and instead of quietly mourning his past mistakes and humbly celebrating his merciful liberty, his best friend gets arrested under false allegations of robbery. Never let it be said again that the goddesses lacked a sense of humor; they were certainly mocking him now.

What was driving Sheik crazy was how _impotent_ he felt; they were left waiting in their rooms with no information while their best friend was carted away to jail and the 'adults' tried to sort out the problem, and they had absolutely nothing they could do to help. It was maddening!

The worst part of it all was how utterly _wrong_ it all was. He'd never let himself be caught dead saying it aloud, but Link was Sheik's hero. And not for the same reasons that everyone else seemed to revere him either. During the shooting last year, the shooting that Sheik himself had helped orchestrate, after Sheik had already cast off his past and his desire to keep on living, when he'd reached what he'd thought of as his proverbial point of no return, it had been Link who'd been unafraid to reach into that dark void and pull him back out. Sure, it may have seemed like just a stupid brawl between teenage guys to any outsider, but it knocked some much needed sense into Sheik and helped save him from the prison of despair he had built for himself.

That's not to say that Midna didn't play a role in saving him, or Zelda or Aryll or Colin or any of their friends… but Link had been the turning point, the hero who had inspired heroics in the rest of them, pun not intended. Along with Midna, Link represented the only constant in his life that formed the foundation of his existence. He _needed_ him.

He had lived because of Link. He continued living because of Link. He was out of prison, he had a home, friends, and a future, because of Link… and now his best friend and brother was being held in prison falsely accused of a crime he couldn't possibly have committed?!

Sheik was livid. Completely and utterly beyond pissed off, to the point where the very blood in his veins seemed to be churning and broiling with desire to break something, to smash a wall, to kick a door in, to… to…

_To shoot up a high school?_

A sudden urge to vomit welled up inside of him, and he shoved the thought away wildly into the void of his subconscious, terrified, retreating to the relative safety of his rage. To distract himself, he found himself repeating for the umpteenth time that evening the thoughts that had been bouncing around unanswered inside his skull.

"I just don't understand! He got arrested for _stealing_ something from the Museum? When?! How?! He was with us all day! Every person on this field trip can support that! What are the police even thinking?!"

Rather than telling him to chill like she'd been doing for the better part of the last twenty minutes, Midna let out a triumphant shout and said, "I found it! They've released an official statement to the media!"

"What? Who?" Sheik asked quickly, feeling both confused and irritated.

"The police! It says here… huh… well that's odd."

"What? What's odd? Midna, what does it-?"

"Shush!" she snapped, flapping her hand impatiently at him to shut him up, "Hold on and I'll read it! It just says that someone was arrested for theft of some priceless object from the Museum. It doesn't say who or what, though… that's weird, right?"

"Weird?" Sheik shot back, feeling his anger building again, "You know what's weird? How they're not even telling us _why_ they think Link did it in the first place! It's ludicrous! You can't just arrest someone without evidence!"

"Apparently, they have that." Midna cut in dryly, and Sheik shot her a surprised look.

"Huh? They do?"

"Yup. Says here 'the perpetrator' was identified from security footage by a member of the museum's staff."

Sheik and Midna exchanged blank looks.

"A member of museum…?"

It dawned on them simultaneously.

"_Linebeck!"_ they exclaimed in unison. For some reason, Midna seemed to relax a little.

"Why do you look so calm?" Sheik snapped, scowling, and his girlfriend shrugged lightly, a smug smile tugging at her lips.

"Well, if it was Linebeck, then we probably don't have anything to worry about. I mean… it's _Linebeck_. Guy can't do anything right. They'll probably end up tossing the whole allegation in the trash before breakfast."

Despite Midna's apparent acceptance that everything was all cheese sticks and applesauce, Sheik felt a whole new plume of rage erupting inside of him. Not towards the police or Midna, but towards Linebeck.

"I can't believe it… that dirty little rat…"

Midna shot him a confused look.

"Link saves his life last year and this is how he repays him?! By accusing him of a crime he didn't commit and tossing him in prison?! I'm gonna catch that dirty, squealing pig and gut him like a… like a… a pig!"

"Sheik, seriously. Calm. Down." Midna demanded, fixing him with her scariest no-nonsense look. "We know Link isn't guilty, which means that the police can't possibly have any convincing evidence against him. They'll probably hold him for a few hours then let him go, and we'll all just laugh about this in the morning, ok? Come on, sit down and help me plan how we can use this to tease him in the future…"

But Sheik was no longer listening to his girlfriend's attempts to reign in his anger. A course of action that could potentially help Link had suddenly occurred to him and he headed towards the window where he'd kicked off his shoes in anger when he first came up.

"Um… babe? What are you doing?" Midna asked hesitantly, sitting up on the edge of the bed with a nervous look on her face.

"Going to help Link." He replied shortly, tugging on his second shoe and standing back up, patting his pockets for his phone and wallet.

"What?!" she shrieked, and Sheik winced, rubbing at his ears. "What are-? There is no way I'm letting you go down to the police station! Stop being an idiot!"

"I'm not going to the police station, Mid." He replied, and she looked momentarily stymied. "…I'm going to the museum."

"_What?!_" She shrieked again, and despite himself, Sheik chuckled. Placing a fist on his hip, he turned to his girlfriend and shot her a determined look from under his lanky bangs.

"I'm going to go have a little… chat… with Linebeck. Assuming he's still there, I mean. And if not, then I'll find out where he lives and go there instead. If the only thing they have on Link is Linebeck's testimony that it was Link in the video, then getting Linebeck to retract that testimony ought to get Link out of prison faster."

Midna was making the same expression that that Jackie Chan meme did that Sheik liked so much. "What… you… I… Sheik, do you hear yourself right now? There are so many things in that plan that don't make any sense. And besides, you seem to be forgetting that a certain person in this room has a criminal record. What's it gonna look like when someone calls the cops because you've been skulking around the crime scene in the middle of the night where your best friend was just accused of having stolen something and harassing the informant who told on him?!"

"Like I'm trying to help my best friend."

"Gah!" she exclaimed in frustration, snatching his pillow up and burying her face into its fluffy depths to muffle her scream. "_I am surrounded by imbeciles!"_

"Midna," he said, kneeling down in front of her and trying to adopt a calm, reasoning tone, "try to understand. I just… I need to feel like I'm doing something. I can't just do nothing when Link needs help. I… I owe him…"

He saw the begrudging understanding pass across her face, but that didn't stop her from one last ditch attempt to stop him.

"I… Aryll, can you talk some sense into him? Please?"

Sheik stopped himself from scoffing and turned calmly to face Link's little sister, who'd remained almost entirely silent from her position curled up under her brother's covers. The smaller blonde girl was quiet for a second before slowly pushing herself to a sitting position, the covers falling off of her shoulders, and placing her socked feet on the floor. She met Sheik's level gaze with a tear-filled one of her own for a moment before slowly getting to her feet and walking to the door. Sheik thought she was going to leave without saying a word and turned to gloat to Midna before realizing that Aryll was putting her own shoes on.

"Uh…"

"Aryll? What are you…?"

"I'm going with Sheik. I want to help Link too."

Sheik blinked in surprise, and Midna let out a dumbfounded "Huh?!"

"I just… Sheik's right. I owe Link too. He came to find me last year when I was locked up in that closet even though he could've died, and I … I just… I want to help…"

Her voice was trembling slightly, but she met Sheik's surprised expression with a look of surprising determination. After a pause, he nodded.

"Alright then. Let's get this show on the road."

"I… hey!" Midna cried out as Sheik got to his feet and moved to join Aryll. She hopped off the bed and hastily chased them towards the door. "You can't…! But…! This isn't…!"

Ignoring his fluttery girlfriend, Sheik opened the door, cast quick looks down both ends of the hallway, and then ushered the silent Aryll outside. He paused before following to shoot Midna an expectant look.

"…what?" she asked, confused.

"Well? You're coming, aren't you?"

Her jaw worked soundlessly for a moment, hands balled into fists at her sides, before letting out an exasperated growl and snatching her converse up from beside the door.

"This is stupid. I hope you realize that." She grunted darkly as she tugged her shoes on.

"I do." He pecked her on the temple softly. "Thanks for coming."

She rabbit punched him in the short rib, and he doubled over with a hoarse grunt of pain. "Well someone has to keep you out of jail. Come on, then, before someone catches us."

Clutching his side with a pained grimace, Sheik led the trio down the silent hallway towards the far stairwell. It wasn't that late; maybe just a little past eleven, but all the students had been sent to their rooms right after the cops had hauled Link away. Honestly, Sheik had expected there to be a chaperone or something guarding the hall, but with all the confusion over the arrest they must have been slipping up in their patrols.

Finally feeling like he was doing something seemed to have abated Sheik's anger for the moment; he could still feel it simmering down underneath, spurring him on, but he was keeping it at bay for now. A good thing, because he knew he would need his wits about him for this admittedly stupid plan to work.

Aryll and Midna crept along hurriedly behind him; Aryll looking equal parts scared and determined, the tear tracks drying on her cheeks beneath her fierce cerulean irises. Midna just looked bored.

Sheik was grateful for the fabric beneath his feet; it muffled their not-so-sneaky footsteps. The third floor bore green carpeting with a checkered pattern, showing colors ranging from white to green with varying shades between. The walls had dark green wallpaper, broken intermittently with mahogany doors with golden numbers and black keycard slots near the handles. Small light fixtures filled the hall with soft light between every door. All things considered, it wasn't that bad looking; he'd certainly been in tackier hotels. He knew the girl's floor was red and had a more 'imperial' theme, if Malon's nonsensical prattering earlier had meant anything… which, he supposed, it really didn't.

As they reached the stairwell that led down to the back parking lot (not the one that led to the lobby, as it was probable that they'd be stopped by anyone who saw them, be they school staff or hotel faculty), Sheik cracked the door open and peered into the third floor landing.

His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

There, standing on the landing, were Auru and Nabooru, in the middle of a conversation.

"…about three hours." Auru was saying, looking frazzled as he hurriedly relayed instructions to the Vice Principal. "Then have the shifts change. Alfonzo said he'd cover for me tonight. I'll call you as soon as I find anything out, alright?"

"Have you called his guardians?" Nabooru asked, calm as a summer evening, as if students were regularly arrested on her shift. She looked to be the veritable antithesis of Auru at the moment; she was completely neat and orderly, as per usual, not a hair out of place, whereas Auru was a nervous wreck. Even his mustache looked like it was sweating.

"Er, well, we've, um… tried. Several times. It would appear Granny Hero is a heavy sleeper. But I'll keep on trying. With any luck we can get this all sorted out before she wakes up in the morning. I don't think anyone would take too kindly to this news, especially today of all days."

"Mmm." Nabooru grunted noncommittally. "Well. Update me as soon as you get to the police station. You're taking a taxi?"

"Of course." He replied in answer to both statements, "Hopefully I'll see you in a bit."

With that, he turned and darted off down the staircase.

For a terrifying moment, Sheik thought Nabooru was going to walk through the door he was peeking through and catch them. All of his noble plans for rescuing his best friend seemed to be falling apart in front of his eyes… but then she turned and headed up the stairs towards the girl's floor. Sheik let out a relieved breath; one bullet dodged.

"What's up?" Midna whispered, and he jumped slightly, then firmly took ahold of himself, feeling silly.

"Nothing, they're gone. Ready?"

"We're waiting on you, aren't we?"

Nodding, Sheik took one last breath, waiting until he heard the echoing sounds of the upstairs door shutting, signaling that Nabooru had left the stairwell, before pulling the door all the way open and racing in, Midna and Aryll tailing close behind him.

They took the stairs two at a time, rushing as quickly and as silently as they dared towards the ground floor, the dirty yellow lighting casting bizarre shadows on the grimy tiled floor and walls. Reaching the ground floor, Sheik paused in his haste to glance nervously outside to make sure Auru wasn't still hanging around. He wasn't.

The trio walked out into the silent darkness of the parking lot, feeling relieved at having not been caught… and then exchanged blank looks.

"So… now what?" Aryll asked.

"I don't have money for a taxi." Midna stated flatly.

"We can just take a bus to the subway, and go that way." Sheik replied. "It can't be that hard, right?"

"I guess no-"

"Aha!" Cried a voice from behind them, making them all start, "Found you!"

Terrified that a teacher had spotted them and followed them out, Sheik wheeled around to face the door again, but the voice had come from just off to the side in a shadowy corner of the parking lot. From the nebulous depths three figures were now emerging, the first sporting a triumphant grin on his familiar, arrogant face.

"Huh?"

"Is that…?"

"Ralph." Sheik said flatly, his heart still racing frantically in his chest. "What in the…? What are you _doing_ out here?!"

"Why, waiting for you of course!" He replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?" Sheik asked, impatient. Honestly, someone could come out any second now and catch them! They couldn't just hang around in front of the door!

"And why are _they_ with you?" Midna asked, a scathing note to her voice, and Sheik turned his attention to Ralph's comrades, whom he'd simply ignored at first. To his utter surprise, he found himself looking at the nervous face of Marin, the new girl Link had rescued just the other day from being run over, and the haughty smirk of Groose, the hulking captain of the rugby team.

"Obviously, upon discovering that my arch rival Link was wrongfully imprisoned by mal-intended ne'er-do-wells, I realized that I must at once set out on a quest to right this sinister wrong and save my helpless compatriot, that my glory might raise in greatness higher than his own! Knowing as I did that his companions would soon launch a rescue attempt, I cloaked myself in these shadows that I might await your arrival and invite you to join my party so that our ventures might stand a greater chance at success!"

Sheik's head was starting to hurt.

"Ok…." Said Midna, shooting Aryll a blank look. Aryll merely shook her head flatly, looking irritated. "Well… what about you two?"

"I…" Marin started, then swallowed nervously, casting a fearful glance towards the door to the stairwell as it swung open, but it was just another hotel guest who hardly spared the teenagers a glance. "I just w-wanted to help Link… He's been so nice to me, and he saved my life the other day, and when I heard Ralph talking about how he was going to rescue him, I thought I'd see if I could help…"

"Wait, what?" Sheik cut in, alarmed. "Ralph, you went around telling people you were going to leave the hotel?!"

"But of course!" Ralph replied, matter-of-factly. "How else was I to recruit others to our noble cause? How do you think I got young Groose here?"

"Yeah, Groose, what are you doing here? I thought you hated Link." Midna asked, confused.

"Heh. That sniveling pipsqueak is too below my notice for hatred." Groose scoffed, thumbing his nose with a cocky smirk. "But I figure it'd look good for the Groosinator's image if he was seen bein' all generous and stuff to the nerdy kids. Besides, I'm always for breakin' the rules."

"Farore preserve us…" Midna sighed, rubbing her temples tiredly. "Sheik, please tell me they can't come along?"

"What?!" Marin cut in, looking terrified and outraged. "Why shouldn't we get to come?! Link's our friend too!"

"Whatever. There are too many of us to begin with-"

"I figure I'm worth ten of you, tiny!"

"What did you just call me?!"

"Guys, please, keep it down, you'll attract attention…"

"Ah, sweetest Aryll, who's voice so like a gentle balm to cure our fevered souls…"

Sheik snapped.

"Guys!" He yelled, catching their attention and shutting their mouths simultaneously. "Everyone can come if we leave right now!"

"But-!"

"No buts, Midna! Ralph already told everyone he was leaving, which means that any minute now someone's gonna go check on his room. When they realize he's gone, they'll search for everyone else and find out we're gone too. We need to go now if we want to avoid being caught!"

Midna grumbled, but accepted without further comment.

"Now." Sheik continued, realizing he had everyone's attention. "Who knows where the nearest bus stop is? One that's out of view of the hotel?"

"I think we passed one just two streets over on the way back from the grove today..." Marin supplied, and Sheik nodded gratefully.

"Awesome. Alright, hurry up and let's move. Before we get caught, ok?"

"Alright!"

"Yes sir, master navigator!"

Sheik took a deep breath to brace himself, then headed off towards the street, the others following behind. Somehow, he'd become the leader of this merry band of rule-breakers. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, or if he was happy or upset that there were so many of them who wanted to go. He did know one thing, though; whatever it took, he was going to help Link. He had an endless amount of debt that he owed his best friend, and though he could never hope to pay it back, he may as well start trying.

_We're on our way, man. Hang tight._

* * *

A bell jingled as Zelda pushed her way into the ice cream parlor, the cool wave of air conditioning washing over her. A sniveling Anju and uncomfortable Colin shuffled in awkwardly behind her, shutting the door with a soft snap.

A perky older lady greeted them from behind the counter with a cheerful, "Hey there, kids! Welcome to Anouki's Ice Cream!"

Zelda flashed her a fake smile then immediately returned her attention to her friends. Placing a bracing arm around Anju's shoulder, she whispered soothingly to the trembling older girl, "Alright, let's just go take a seat, ok?"

"O-Ok…" she mumbled, leaning partially against Zelda for support.

"Um," Colin cut in awkwardly, "I think I'll just go get us some ice cream, ok?"

Zelda gave a thankful nod and hurriedly began leading the red head away as Colin stepped closer to the counter, staring up at the menu boards with a pensive look on his face. Given the strangeness of their current situation he was likely to deliberate as long as possible, both to give Zelda and Anju their much-needed time to talk, and also to avoid having to deal with crying girls. Though she could be wrong; that intense look on his face didn't seem forced… maybe he just took his ice cream selection seriously. Zelda certainly did.

Sitting them at the corner booth furthest from the counter in the empty ice cream shop, Zelda crossed her arms and rested her elbows on the table, examining her friend critically. After telling them in the parking lot of the Stock Pot Inn that her boyfriend Kafei was apparently missing, she'd broken down in hysterics and had been essentially inconsolable, and frankly impossible to understand. After a few minutes of fruitless attempts to calm her, it had been Colin who had suggested they go somewhere to talk. Zelda had driven (Anju was in no shape for much of anything at the moment), and thus they wound up at this family-owned ice cream parlor.

Anju seemed to be doing better now. Her open, body-wracking sobs had reduced themselves to occasional sniffles, and though her eyes were puffy and red they met Zelda's steadily enough. For a moment, there was no sound in the ice cream parlor save for the hum of the air conditioner that was seriously blowing air too cold for this time of year and an old television hanging up on a wall not far from where they were sitting.

Deciding it was now or never, Zelda placed a reassuring hand on Anju's and said, softly, "Hey… you ok?"

Nodding, Anju wiped at her eyes with her free hand and snagged some napkins out of a holder on the table.

"I… Yeah, I'm ok, I…"

"…You wanna tell me what's going on?"

Anju opened her mouth, then hesitated, her eyes glued to the table and an uncharacteristically fragile look on her face. Zelda felt so out of place; this was not the mature, confidant girl that had helped her so during the shooting last year. Something had seriously rattled her, but what? And what was all this about Kafei missing?

When she didn't answer, Zelda leaned a little closer and whispered, "Anju, you know I can't help if you don't tell me what's happening."

Sighing, Anju physically steeled herself, squeezing her eyelids shut before meeting Zelda's eyes with her own crystal blue ones.

"Kafei's gone missing."

"Right, you said as much earlier. What do you mean, he went missing?"

Detangling her fingers from Zelda's, Anju wiped absently at her nose with a napkin. "I… I don't know where he went. He's been gone for hours and I can't get ahold of him."

Zelda pursed her lips, a concerned look on her face. "Right… well, start from the top. When and why did he leave? How long has it been exactly?"

"He left after… well, we were all at the museum together, you know… you, me, Kafei, and my friend Cremia…. After you all went off to see the Master Sword, the three of us decided to head back to our hotel. We were kinda tired; it was a long drive yesterday, but we were maybe gonna head out and do something later on tonight… But Kafei was acting so weird on the way back and while we were at the hotel, and then… well, he said he had to go do something, but that he'd be back before six, and he left… but he didn't take the car. And then Cremia went to her room to sleep, and… and…"

Tears were welling up in her eyes again, and Zelda braced herself for another crying fit.

"H-he never came back! I've called and called his phone and sent him texts but he hasn't answered any of them! A-and Cremia's gone too! She won't answer her phone, and I've knocked and knocked on her door but she hasn't answered, and I… I just… I don't know what to do!"

Zelda chewed her lip, mewling over the situation as her friend sobbed into her now sodden napkin. It was a little disconcerting, to be sure. Having your boyfriend just randomly up and leave on a vacation to the big city and then have him gone for hours with no word… yeah, that could cause the worst sorts of worries to pop up in the imagination of just about anyone. Still, she supposed it was possible that he was just stuck in traffic on the subway or something and his phone died… but then again…

"Have you considered going to the police?" She asked, and Anju shook her head.

"N-no. In Castleton, they don't investigate missing persons over the age of eighteen until after twenty-four hours, and as it hasn't even been twelve…"

"Hmm…" Zelda replied. "Well… Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"N-no." She said. Zelda frowned; there was something odd about the expression on Anju's face as she said that. Leaning forward, Zelda fixed the older girl with an imploring look.

"Anju… come on, anything could help. You don't have any idea at all?"

"I…" she started, but then started sobbing again.

Zelda sighed; this was getting ridiculous. "Come on, Anju, I'm sure he's fine. Do you really think anything could hurt Kafei? If he survived last year, he can survive anything."

"It… it's not…"

"It's not what?"

"It's not… what I'm worried about…"

Zelda frowned. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

Anju was wringing the napkin out now, nearly tearing it to shreds as she fidgeted with her hands. "W-well, I… I mean, it's just… Kafei's gone, and… and Cremia is too, and I… I mean, I…"

Understanding suddenly bloomed in the pit of her stomach, and Zelda grimaced.

"Oh, Anju…"

"Don't say it like that!" She exclaimed suddenly, a wild look in her eye. "She's been our friend since we were little, back when we lived in Termina, and we hadn't seen each other in years until college! Din, you saw her, Zelda! She's so much… more than me! Prettier and wealthier and funnier and friendlier and… Light, how can Kafei _not_ fall for that?! What am I compared to her?!"

"Anju." Zelda said, unable to keep a slightly amused, maternal note from her voice. "Anju, stop. You're being ridiculous, and if either of them were here right now, they'd agree."

"But I-"

"No." she cut off, pointing a finger sternly at the other girl's face, making her blink. "Cremia _is_ pretty. And nice, and friendly, and funny, and probably all the other things you said about her. How could she not be if she's your and Kafei's best friend? You wouldn't hang out in the company of scum. But _you_ are all of those things too, and don't you dare try to tell me otherwise. Look, it's normal to feel a little threatened or jealous sometimes, but Anju…"

Zelda sighed, then tilted her head to the side and fixed the sad faced girl with a warm smile. "Anju, what you and Kafei have is honestly one of the purest, most beautiful things I've ever seen. I've never seen two people more perfect for each other, and everyone sees it. Me, Link, Midna, Sheik, Aryll… Cremia. We talked about it a lot today, how utterly adorable the two of you are and how it makes us want to vomit."

Anju smiled sheepishly, but kept her gaze fixed on the table, unable to meet Zelda's eye. "And Kafei? He's crazy about you. As if being your friend for over a year or the events of the shooting weren't enough to cement that, I got all the confirmation I needed again today in the museum. He spent all day with three beautiful ladies, if I do say so myself, and only had eyes for you. So come on… Perk up, Anju. Wallowing in self-pity isn't like you."

"I… I know…" Anju sniffled after a moment, idly stirring through the shreds of napkin that littered the tabletop with a finger. "I guess I'm just… I don't know. Being at college, surrounded by all these older, more attractive women… I guess I just got a little insecure. And maybe I feel like me and Kafei haven't really progressed in our relationship recently… like we've plateaued, but I _know_ there's more there… and maybe I was worried he was getting bored of me."

She finally looked up and met Zelda's warm gaze with a sheepish one of her own. "I'm not super proud of myself… you must think I'm being so silly right now."

"Just a little." Zelda replied, and the two laughed.

"I… thanks, Zelda. I knew you'd be able to help. You always know what to say to make people feel better. How'd you get to be so wise anyway?"

Zelda gave a forced laugh. "Oh, you know… Just lucky."

"Well, thanks. You're a good friend. Though I don't know about all this 'perfect relationship' nonsense you're spewing. You and Link could give us a run for our money any day."

Zelda hid her grimace behind her hand. Yeah, maybe any day but_ that_ one…

"Hey guys, everything alright?"

Zelda and Anju glanced up to see Colin had finally arrived at the table, supporting three small cups of ice cream in his hands. Zelda slid over to give him room to sit down beside her and he shot her a grateful smile.

"Yeah. Sorry for that, Colin." Anju said, a bashful smile on her face. "I'm sure you didn't- oh! Did you buy this for me?"

"Well, yeah." Colin said with an absent shrug, digging his pink plastic spoon into his ice cream. "What else was I supposed to do in that line?"

"You have to let me pay you back! I-"

"Anju, don't worry about it." Zelda cut off, popping a spoonful of strawberry ice cream into her mouth, savoring the flavor. There were even bits of real strawberry in it. Colin always knew what she liked, he was considerate like that. Aryll was missing out. "Colin never lets ladies pay. He's a chauvinist."

"And proud of it." He joked, munching happily on his own vanilla ice cream. Poor kid didn't even have any toppings, just pure vanilla. He was so weird…

Anju smiled sweetly, digging into her own chocolate. "Aw, well that's very gentlemanly of you."

"Tell that to Midna…" he grumped, and the two laughed.

"So… is Kafei ok?" Colin asked hesitantly, wincing slightly as though afraid to set off another crying fit.

Anju let out a shaky breath. "We… don't know, exactly. He's been gone for a few hours and isn't answering his phone…"

"He left the hotel in either a taxi or the bus, but we don't know where he went." Zelda added, giving Anju a moment to compose herself. "I think it's a little too early to be panicking; he could just be stuck in traffic or something."

"Definitely." Colin agreed, and Zelda was grateful for the casual confidence in his tone as he added on, "Plus, if he took the subway or something, he could just have no reception. Phone signals are notorious down there. And it's not like traffic's ever good in Castleton. I'm sure you'll hear from him before long."

"Thanks, Colin." Anju said softly.

"However," Colin continued, fixing Anju with a serious look. "It wouldn't hurt to go down to the station and put in a missing person's report. It's probably a little early for that, but a little caution never hurt anyone, and at least they'll have it on record. We can come with you if you like; I know my way around a police station."

"That… would be wonderful. Thank you." Anju replied, sounding a little relieved, and Zelda beamed at the younger boy. Honestly, Aryll really was missing out here. Maybe it was her she needed to be smacking some sense into, and not Colin.

"I dunno…" Zelda mused, idly stirring her ice cream. "It probably wouldn't be such a good idea for us to go to the police station… they'd want to know who we are and where we're from, and I doubt Auru would be too happy to find out we were just randomly there when we ought to be in the hotel…"

"Oh, right…"

"That's ok. Thanks anyway, guys. I'll take you back as soon as we're done eating, ok?"

The sudden fanfare of a news report broke the comfortable silence of the ice cream parlor from the television hung on the wall not too far from them, and the three turned towards the set with mild curiosity. They were met with the smiling face of a middle-aged brunette woman in a sharp pantsuit as she turned to the camera and began, without preamble, "Good evening Castleton, we have two breaking news stories to report to you tonight that are developing even as we speak."

From across the table, Zelda heard Anju let out a soft breath. _Oh Nayru,_ Zelda thought worriedly, _please don't let there have been an accident or something_. It wouldn't be good if they found out that Kafei hadn't been answering because he was in the hospital… or worse.

"First, seven children were reported missing from a local orphanage in western Castleton tonight, officials' state…."

"Whoa!" Colin cried out as the images of the missing kids flashed across the screen. Zelda felt her stomach drop out as the visage of a scowling blonde no older than seven or eight appeared, only to be replaced by a chubby four year old boy with dark purple, almost black hair who was unmistakably her brother.

"Oh, how horrible!" Anju gasped, ever the compassionate one. Colin, however, met Zelda's gaze with an incredulous one of his own.

"Aren't those…?"

"Yeah." She replied, a sad feeling sinking into her heart.

"What?" Anju asked confused.

"Those kids… we met them this morning at the museum. Some smelly homeless man was chasing after two of them, but then Link stepped in and saved them. Oh, this is so sad… I hope they're ok."

"You don't think that homeless man attacked them, do you?" Anju asked, her tone guarded.

"Dunno. But we can add that to the list of things you need to tell them at the police station tonight." Colin added matter-of-factly.

"Sounds good." Zelda hummed, slipping another spoon full of strawberry ice cream into her mouth. Mmm, delicious…

"In other news," the TV continued, "today marks the one year anniversary of the Ordon High Massacre that shocked the nation, when over forty people lost their lives in a vicious surprise assault on a high school in southern Hyrule."

"Oh man, I don't need to hear this." Zelda grumbled, pushing her cup away and turning to Colin. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah." He muttered distastefully, scowling at the screen as he began clambering to his feet.

"We have recently learned from sources at a police station that the hero of the Ordon High Massacre, Link Hero, was arrested here tonight in Castleton for theft of a priceless artifact from the Museum of National History."

Zelda, who'd been about to shove the last spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, whipped her head toward the television in shock at hearing the announcement, smearing ice cream all over her cheek.

"_What?!"_

"Zelda, did she just-?!"

"Shh!" she hushed, cutting the other teens off and staring in disbelieving horror at the screen.

"We have been unable to verify exactly what artifact was stolen or whether it was reclaimed. We were able to receive no further comments at this time."

Something akin to dread was welling up inside Zelda's chest as the news anchor began exchanging idle banter with her fake-tanned co-host. It was a nasty feeling, gnawing at her insides, a sort of slow-burning anxiety… the kind she hadn't felt in a long, long time. About a year, in fact. Fighting down the panic, Zelda turned to face a stunned Colin and Anju, and said, in a steady voice that surprised even her,

"…We need to go. Now."

"Where?" Colin asked as they raced towards the door, their empty ice cream cups laying forgotten on the table, ignoring the cheerful farewell of the shop owner as they burst out the front door, the bell chiming at their departure.

"What do you mean, where?! The police station of course!" Zelda blurted out.

"Zel, wait! We can't!"

"What do you mean, we can't?!" Zelda exclaimed breathlessly as they arrived at Anju's car. "Colin, I don't think you heard correctly, but Link just got arrested!"

"Yeah, I did." He panted, leaning against the car. "But we just talked about this- we can't go to the police station, we'd just get in even more trouble. We need to get back to the hotel _now_ before they realize we're gone and report us missing too. Zelda, what would the police think upon hearing that their suspect's girlfriend snuck out just before he got arrested? They'll probably think you're involved. We need to get back to the hotel ASAP."

"But-!"

"Zelda, he's right." Anju cut in, looking apologetic. "Look, don't worry; I'm going to the police station about Kafei. I'll tell them about the kids and the hobo, and I'll text you about Link, ok?"

"I…" Zelda mumbled, feeling frustrated and defeated. "…ok, fine! So then how are we going to get back?"

"We'll take a taxi." Colin said, catching Zelda's arm and leading her away. "Don't worry, I'll put it on my dad's card and explain it all when we get home."

"But I…" Zelda started, but Colin had a firm grip and was steering her toward the street.

"Don't worry, Zelda! I'll call you as soon as I get there, ok?" Anju called, already getting into her car.

Grimacing, Zelda shook her hand from Colin's grip and turned her attention to the matter at hand. Dislike it as she did, Colin was right. First things first; getting back to the hotel without getting caught, then she could worry about Link.

Nayru, but this was bad. Kafei gone, seven missing orphans, and to top it off, her boyfriend got arrested while she was breaking curfew by sneaking out of the hotel in the dead of night. Well. Wasn't this turning into a lovely field trip?

* * *

"Look, I said it wasn't me!"

"Yeah yeah, we've heard it all before kid, you'll have to do better than that."

"But it _wasn't_ me! Light, I didn't- I don't even know what you're talking about!"

The older officer with the dark aviators and the too-small uniform snorted derisively and tossed his head. The younger, with the silly mustache who was sitting across from Link at the table in the interrogation room leaned forward with an intent look on his face and said fervently, "Link, we want to believe you, we do. But you've got to give us something to go on here."

Link mentally scoffed. The good cop/bad cop routine? Seriously? They actually did that? Wow. Maybe TV wasn't totally useless after all… but now wasn't really the time to be thinking about that.

"I did give you something." Link grated through his teeth, a murderous look in his eye. "And I'll say it again if that's what it takes to get it through your thick skulls. I spent all day in the museum with my class. I spent all evening in the hotel, _with my class._ There have got to be at least sixty people who can testify that I was chilling in the lobby tonight if you need them to. And hasn't the hotel got security cameras or something?"

Honestly, this was ridiculous. There was that small, rational part of Link that was terrified because oh-my-Din-I-just-got-arrested, but for the most part he was just frustrated. Like, seriously… It was so obviously not him that it made his head hurt. He lifted his left hand to rub his temples, but his wrist was handcuffed to the table and stopped short with a jerk. He had to stop himself from growling at them; acting like a feral animal wasn't going to help the situation any, but good Farore he wanted to.

The two officers didn't say anything, simply examining him silently through guarded eyes.

Sighing, Link leaned back against the uncomfortable metal chair, stretching his legs out under the table and placing his forearms on the dark grey table top. The yellow light from the solitary light bulb above him reflected off the opaque glass that made up most of the wall to his right. A lifetime of avid film watching had drilled into his head that this was the one-way window that led toward the room where the other detectives and a quirky psychological expert were more than likely debating over the way he composed himself and making plans on how to get him to confess. He wondered if it actually worked that way in reality; somehow, he doubted it. Judging by the shoddy state of things, the grime on the floor and the tacky 80's wallpaper, this station wasn't well funded. They probably couldn't even afford a quirky psychological expert. A shame, that.

"Ok, listen." Link said after a moment, trying to hide his impatience and sound reasonable. "Maybe it could help if you told me what was even stolen. Or maybe why you think I'm the guy who did it. Isn't there some law that says you can't hold somebody in jail without probable cause or something? There's gotta be some reason for why you think it's me, right?"

The two fallible upholders of the law that stood before him didn't exactly have a good tract history of listening when Link spoke (unless it was to tell him in the police car every time he opened his mouth that he had the right to remain silent and yadda yadda all that junk; he'd actually considered maybe calling a lawyer, or calling Zelda or Kafei who's parents would maybe actually know how to go about calling lawyers until he decided it'd just make him look guilty), so it startled him when they both reacted to his request by grinning manically.

"Oh, you wanna see the evidence, Mr. Hero?" Said the surly one, barely managing to hold on to his glee. "It's a real doozy, kiddo. You sure you're ready for it?"

Link frowned; this guy acted more like a school ground bully than a police officer. He had a nagging feeling that he wasn't exactly dealing with Castleton's 'best and brightest' here. He'd more than likely been delegated to two of the station's reject cops because they realized that they really didn't have a case and would just have to let Link go. That was a comforting thought, though he almost felt bad for the two officers; this was probably the most exciting thing the two of them had ever done.

After a moment, Link shrugged as if to say 'why not?', and the chubbier officer grinned.

"Alright then. Officer Poe, if you would…?"

Eyebrows lifted in an 'oooh, you're gonna get it!' kinda way, the self-entitled 'good cop' got to his feet and headed to the door. He was gone for maybe a few seconds before walking back into the room, dragging a television on a cart behind him, the wheels squeaking on the linoleum floor.

"Officer Station, would you be so kind?" Poe asked, smirking evilly.

"Why, I don't mind if I do!" Station replied, and with one last haughty glance at Link, he plucked up the remote and pointed it at the tv, turning it on.

Link yawned. Well, this ought to be interesting enough.

The screen fizzled for a second, in traditional bad 80s technology style, then focused on a slightly blurry black and white night time image of a room. The clock on the corner read 7:14 PM.

"Um…?" Link asked, confused, and one of the officers shushed him, enraptured with the staticky image.

Annoyed, Link decided not to ask what he was supposed to be looking at and just try to figure it out for himself. There appeared to be several roundish objects on the walls, and a few shelves in the middle of the room, which wasn't very large. It was long and narrow, and seemed to have very tall walls to showcase whatever it was that was hanging on them, but Link couldn't quite make it out yet. Pictures? Were there any rooms in the museum that showed a bunch of little pictures? Link couldn't remember exactly, but he didn't think so. Not any he had been in, at least.

Wait… no, those weren't shelves, those were display cases. Glass display cases. He could see little lights reflecting off of them, presumably from out in the hallway. Now where had he seen glass display cases…?

And then he remembered: he _had_ been in a room with glass display cases. He'd tried on fake masks there with Medli, Makar, and Marin. And that meant that the things hanging from the walls weren't pictures, they were masks.

_Well, I guess that means I can't even deny having ever stepped into the room,_ Link thought bitterly_, but that doesn't mean that I stole anything…_

At that moment, a figure stepped into the room.

Link squinted, trying to make out what the person looked like, but the image was too blurry to see clearly. With calm purpose, the person strode down the short walkway between the glass cases and the masks displayed on the wall, not paying attention to anything save for the case he was approaching, the one located just in front of the security camera.

It was close enough for Link to make out that it was a young male, about his age, with dark clothing and messy hair, but that was about it; not enough to point fingers at Link, surely. The figure, whoever he was, pulled what looked to be a crowbar from his pant leg and jammed it into the part of the case where the top surface met the side and began prying. Link waited for a siren to go off, but nothing happened. In a matter of moments the case was open and the figure discarded the implement with obvious indifference, freeing up his hands to reach into the case and pluck out the mask that had been held within.

Link recognized it immediately; vaguely heart-shaped and with odd spikes coming out of the top and sides, the mask bore the image of freakishly huge yellowed eyes and a creepy assortment of tribal tattoos. Link remembered reading over the description earlier that day, but hadn't been invested enough to commit any of it to memory. Honestly, all he remembered about it was that it was the star attraction in the imported mask display from Termina, and that its name started with an 'M'.

_Um… Marsha? Mammary? Marmalade? …Muhammad Ali?_

Forgetting himself for a moment and just _knowing_ that this was going to bother him for the rest of the night, Link opened his mouth to ask one of the officers what the stupid mask was called, when the image on the screen unexpectedly cleared and Link got his first real look at the thief right as he turned toward the camera and grinned.

Link felt his stomach drop out.

It… it was _him!_

Everything, the grin, the hair, the jaw line, the ears, everything… was exactly the same as Link. Were it not for the fact that Link knew that he hadn't been anywhere near the museum that night, he would have believed it was him himself.

But… how?! How was this even possible?! How could he be on camera robbing the museum if he hadn't done it?! What sort of voodoo witch magic was this?!

The Link doppelganger on the screen was still grinning as the image froze in place, his eyes seeming to glow red in the poor lighting of the mask room, his smirk practically reaching through time and space to taunt Link in his temporary prison cell.

Link probably should have schooled his features, but he couldn't seem to wipe the look of pure shock off of his face as the officers turned to face him, triumph obvious in their eyes.

Station, who was holding the remote that had paused the footage, shot a cocky glance at his comrade and said snarkily, "Heh, not so smug anymore, is he?"

"Mmm." The second replied, smoothing out his mustache.

Link said nothing, still staring at his reflection on the screen.

"Well, why don't we give Mr. Hero here a few minutes to consider his situation, eh Poe?"

"Sounds good, Station."

Chuckling, the two men turned and strode from the room, letting the door swing shut behind them with a shuddering crash and leaving Link alone with his thoughts and the mocking image on the television screen.

Working moisture back into his mouth, Link swallowed painfully and ran his free hand through his hair, taking several deep breaths through his mouth. _Oh Din, this isn't good… That guy in the video, he looked just like me! But what…? I didn't do it! I was with my friends the whole night! They have to know that, right?! The hotel surely had cameras that could validate his statement, and his friends would back him up! This wasn't over! He was _not _going to jail!_

_But… who was that person? Why did he look just like him? What did this mean…? _

His mysterious evil twin shows up on the anniversary of the Ordon High Massacre and frames him for robbery of a museum based on the exploits of the Hero of Time? This was no coincidence. Something was going on, something that had to do with the Hero of Time… But what? And how? Ganondorf was dead. Link had beaten him. It was over… wasn't it?

Link turned his hand over and gently tugged at his black glove, revealing the glowing golden Triforce mark on the back of his fist. The gently light was like a calm reminder that no matter what happened, he could face it… The Goddesses were with him. He was their champion. He would see things right.

…He just needed to figure out what was going on first.

He tugged fitfully at the handcuff for a moment with a discomfited frown on his face; dang thing was chaffing. If only he could get them to take it off, it's not like he was dangerous…

…maybe he should have called a lawyer?

A soft weight pressed itself down on Link's shoulder.

"Well, now isn't this simply delicious?" a soft, effeminate voice whispered silkily into his ear, the breath tickling his hair.

With a yelp, Link jerked forward in his seat and whirled around, wildly searching for the source of the voice, bringing up his right hand defensively. Nobody was there. The room was empty.

Link's heart was pounding erratically in his chest. Clenching his jaw, Link forced himself to turn around and face the TV. The stress must be getting to him, that was all. He needed to focus. Fidgeting nervously like a guilty person wasn't going to get him out of here any faster-

When his eyes landed on the person leaning up against the television screen, Link let out another hoarse shriek, jerking as far back in his chair as he could before his cuff restrained him.

The man, if that was indeed what he was, smirked at Link devilishly, a disturbingly coy look in his eyes. Link gaped at the man like a fish. Who…? How…? _What in the world was he wearing?!_

"I see my impressive eminence has once again left you speechless, Hero." The figure tittered, lifting one spangled, gloved hand up to flick his snow white hair out of his face. "Do not feel ashamed; the mere sight of my exquisite physique has brought greater beings than you to their knees in adoration…"

Well… Link didn't know about 'exquisite physique', but the person, whoever they were, was certainly attention-grabbing. He wore what looked like a full-body sleeveless spandex unitard that was strikingly white with diamond shapes cut out all over the legs and torso, showing off his disturbingly pale yet oddly muscular body underneath. His gloves, which extended to the elbows where they tapered off in points also had diamond patterns cut out of them, and he had cinched about his waist a golden sash with a blood-red jewel that was, you guessed it, diamond shaped. Link wondered for a moment if it was real.

The strange man also had on a dark red velvet cape that looked shredded near the end, and the inside was patterned with golden diamonds, giving the man the look of an oddly regal circus performer. Weirdest of all was his hair; white as the driven snow, his bangs hung down, completely obscuring the left half of his face, leaving only one ruby iris and half of his demonic smirk showing.

Link swallowed dryly, searching for his voice.

"Uh… Who the heck are you supposed to be?"

The figure's eyebrow rose in surprise.

"What? You forgot? What a boorishly simplistic memory you have. It is I, Hero… Lord Ghirahim."

There was a beat, as if the man expected Link to react to this new information, but when Link made no comment he tsked in a dissatisfied manner and flicked his hair out his face again.

"Well. Never mind that then. I see you're in quite the predicament, Hero."

Link gave the handcuff another tug and scowled up at the man. "Yeah. Wanna tell me what you have to do with it?"

A grin crept onto Ghirahim's face and he placed a hand on his hip, examining Link with interest. "Well, now we do have some spark, don't we? Peace, Hero. No need to bite. I'm here playing messenger boy, as it were."

"Do what now?"

"Pay attention, Hero. I haven't time to repeat this twice." Strutting away from the table, Ghirahim, whoever he was, paced the length of the one-way window, examining it with interest. Or rather, examining his reflection. "I offer you a choice, Hero. You must decide now. Your answer may affect the fate of the world… You must be feeling _so_ very important."

"What are you talking about?" Link asked, turning in his chair to follow his pacing, not wanting to take his eyes off of the mysterious figure. "And mind telling me who 'Lord Ghirahim' is and how in Din's name you got in here?"

Link gasped as Ghirahim's hand grasped his hair from behind and slammed his head back against the table. What? But- how?! He was right there in front of him a second ago! How'd he get behind him?!

"Not by _her_ name, Hero." Ghirahim seethed venomously, their cheeks centimeters apart. "Never _her _name." For a terrifying moment, Link thought he was going to lick his ear, sharp pain arching through Link's neck and spine, but then he was gone again.

Panting, Link jerked upright, casting his eyes about for the psychopath. He found him leaning up against the furthest wall in the interrogation room opposite the door, his arms crossed across his chest, glaring up at Link through his bangs.

"I'll forgive your indiscretion this time, Hero. Take care that it does not happen again."

"I… but… what…?!"

"Now, as I was saying, I offer you a choice. Tonight, you'll be receiving a long-awaited visit from an old foe… A 'frenemy' , if you will, except without the friend bit. He comes to seek his revenge on one who once thwarted him. He comes for you, Hero."

"Great." Link muttered, subconsciously straining against his handcuffs again, desperately wishing he was free of his shackles. "Thanks for the heads up."

Din, where did those police officers get to?! Was nobody paying attention to this?!

"Mmm." Ghirahim replied, though he clearly wasn't done. "Your choice: you may choose to face this threat, endangering yourself in one more futile battle against the endless march of fate, or you may choose to wait it out here in the relative safety of this squalid prison cell. Choose wisely… oh, but do remember: choosing to fight means accepting my help in getting out of here, but choosing to remain… means putting all your little loved ones in harm's way."

Ghirahim sneered dementedly and examined Link much in the same way a cat examines a cornered rat. Link felt a cold sweat break out over his body; accept this freak's help?! What in Farore's name did that mean? Was choosing this… _thing_ any better than choosing death itself? But then… if he didn't choose… what of his friends? Aryll? Zelda? Granny?

_Why?!_ Link raged at the heavens, suddenly irritated, _Why is this happening again?! I did your dirty work! I've been through Hell, I saved the world! What more can you possibly ask of me?!_

Before he could blink, the world went white, and Link remembered…

_An ethereal forest… golden light… a little girl with a reed flute…_

_And a warning from the Goddess Farore herself. _

"…_Your destiny is not yet over, Hero. There is a great and ancient evil in the land, one who's memory has all but been wiped from the world, and it is rising once more… when the time comes for you to take up your heroic mantle once more, you must seek out your other half, for without it you cannot hope to win. She is the key to your victory."_

Link blinked, confused. He had had… a vision? No… No, a memory… a memory of a dream, that had been hidden from him until the time was right… Until he needed to act…

Find his other half… He hadn't understood her then, but he did now. He knew what he had to do. Well… part of it.

"Do try not to doze off, Hero. This is really quite serious." Came Ghirahim's dry voice from beside the TV. He had moved again.

"I… What do you mean, accepting your help? How can you get me out of here?"

He grinned savagely. "I take it you're agreeing to my offer?"

"I want to hear your plan first."

"It's simple, Hero." Ghirahim instructed, waving his hand through the air. A jet black stone materialized over the table, slowly setting itself down into the scratched metal. It sported several jagged edges, though seemed to be made up of three segments, and the edges almost seemed to glow a faint orange. The pigment of the rock was so dark it seemed to suck in the surround light.

"All you must do… is touch the stone."

Link drew back, feeling a sense of foreboding coming from the object Ghirahim had somehow magically summoned into thin air… but then, that must have been how; he used magic. That was also how he was teleporting. This shouldn't be news; he'd seen Zelda do it, and so had Ganondorf there at the end in Sahasralah's office. But somehow, Ghirahim using magic seemed all the more foreboding. Bizarre and eccentric to the max though he be, he gave off the aura of one who was terribly capable.

Seeing the look of discomfort on Link's face, Ghirahim sighed impatiently and said, slowly walking towards the door, "If I were you, Hero, I'd act soon. Those foolish mortal guards ought to be back any moment now, and it would be a shame for them to see you trying to escape."

"Huh?" Link asked, confused.

With an amused laugh, Ghirahim raised a solitary hand and snapped his fingers. One of the link's on his handcuffs suddenly snapped, leaving him with one of the cuffs still attached to his wrist and a few dangling links that jingled as he moved.

Link stared in shock, and with his attention occupied, Ghirahim vanished, his mocking cackle echoing off the walls of the tiny room. Before Link could wrap his mind around what happened, the doorknob began to rattle.

"I- huh?! Who's the dimwit who locked the door? Hey Poe, grab those keys!"

Link blanched. If those cops walked in and saw that his handcuffs were broken…!

Casting aside his fears and better judgment, Link lunged forward and grasped the stone in his hand.

The world went black.

* * *

Wrapping her arms nervously around her midsection, Anju Potts entered the Central Castleton Police Station, feeling terribly out of place. She'd never actually been in a police station, and though she'd seen them loads of times on those TV drama's Kafei teased her so much for watching, she'd never given much thought to what one looked like in reality.

If she was being honest, it was a little underwhelming. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but the lobby felt a great deal like the DMV; a lot of grumpy people being forced to wait for long periods of time on uncomfortable chairs. There weren't even any heavily tattooed scary looking biker dudes. She felt betrayed. Turning to vent her disappointment out on her boyfriend, she felt her heart plummet when she remembered nobody was there. Hence why she'd come to the Police Station in the first place. Or one of the reasons at least.

After leaving Zelda and Colin to flag down a taxi, Anju had peeled out in the direction of the police station (praise Nayru for the invention of smart phones and portable GPS!). She'd given Kafei and Cremia's cellulars one last call, just to be sure, but no dice. Zelda's pep talk had helped clear her head a bit, and while there was still that nasty little voice in her head telling her that Cremia was twenty times the woman she would ever be, she could now at least recognize it as a silly irrational fear and do her best to ignore it. It was hard, though.

It had taken her maybe twenty minutes to drive there from Anouki's Ice Cream, to her relief, and she'd taken that time to calm herself and drudge up what she was going to tell the police. About Kafei, in order to make her claim seem serious and not the ravings of a possessive teenage girl (she was still nineteen, thank-you-very-much) who's boyfriend who had simply gone out for drinks with his buds. Also about the kids, though she couldn't give them much to go on. The tip about the hobo still might help though; she hoped it would. She felt so terrible for them… they must be so scared…

And about Link… Light, how was she supposed to find anything out to send to Zelda?

As she walked into the center of the lobby, nervously trying to decide what to do (did she just walk right up to the receptionist and ask? Was there some sort of number-pulling system? Why didn't television dramas show you important things like this?!), she noticed a tall, broad-shouldered gentleman with graying hair and a frazzled disposition talking in hushed tones with an officer, who didn't seem to be too happy with him. There was something oddly familiar about the man…

The officer made a curt statement and left the older man standing alone near the reception desk, a despondent slump to his shoulders. As he turned to face Anju, running a tired hand through his thinning hair, a lost look on his face, she felt her heart leap. She knew that man! It was Mr. Auru!

"Auru!" she called out, delighted, hurrying forward. There was something about finding somebody you knew that made strange, intimidating places seem less frightening.

He glanced toward her, curious, and she could see the blank look on his face as he took her in without recognizing her.

"Um… yes? Can I-?"

"Mr. Auru, it's me- Anju."

He still looked confused. She sighed, unable to feel anything but affection for Ordon's most popular teacher. "I graduated last year… Kafei Dotour's girlfriend?"

Recognition bloomed in his eyes, and he grinned broadly, delight casting away the gloom that had shadowed his face a moment before. "Why- Miss Potts! I hardly recognized you! I… what are you doing here at this ungodly hour?"

Anju grimaced. "Well… I… Kafei's gone missing."

Genuine sorrow flashed across his weathered features, and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Light... I'm sorry to hear that. It seems it's a bad night for Ordon High Alumni all around…"

"Yeah, what's going on with Link?" She asked, hoping he might give her some details that she could feed to Zelda. The poor girl must be outside of her mind with worry; she knew the feeling.

Auru quirked a quizzical eyebrow, looking surprised. "How did you hear about Mr. Hero?"

Panic gripped Anju's heart for a moment, and she felt like a complete and utter idiot for mentioning Link to Auru before realizing that her coming to hear of Link's arrest actually had nothing to do with her convincing Colin and Zelda to sneak out of the hotel in the dead of night to eat ice cream, even if they were with her when she'd found out.

"I, uh… i-it was on the news…" She stuttered nervously, hoping he didn't notice the way her whole face flushed red. Din, but it was hot in here! How did criminals get away with lying so much?! It was terrifying… and she wasn't even really lying!

Her old teacher groaned, massaging his face with his hands. His exhaustion was evident. The poor man must be going through a lot of stress right now.

"Great… I should have realized they would… but I had so hoped to have this cleared up before…"

"Is… Is Link in serious trouble?" Anju asked hesitantly. She hadn't actually given any thought to the 'why' behind Link's arrest; she'd had her mind occupied with other things, like Kafei, for one thing. But at the same time, the thought that Link would ever commit a crime serious enough to get him arrested was laughable. He was Link, for crying out loud! He was the second most reliable, trustworthy and genuine guy she knew, second only to her boyfriend.

At her question, Auru scowled darkly. "As to that, I don't know. These... these blasted _police officers_ won't tell me anything! They keep say I'm not his legal guardian! As if I wasn't granted temporary guardianship by his grandmother as per the school policy on field trips, but apparently that isn't worth anything here! I've just been sitting here like a stump, growing moss and getting nothing done! It's infuriating!"

Anju wasn't really sure what to say to that. She wasn't used to seeing Auru lose his cool. All she could think of was how she had nothing to report to Zelda.

"And it's not as though I haven't tried!" Auru continued, ranting more to himself than to her. "I've done about all I can short of calling up Rusl, but that's a last-ditch effort that I'm not willing to take right now-"

From somewhere within the police station, a woman let out a blood-curdling scream.

The sound was so sudden and unexpected, it made Anju jump and let out a small screech of her own. She and Auru whirled simultaneously to face the rest of the police station that extended beyond the front desk. Most of it was obscured behind walls or doors or blinded windows, the deeper confines held down hallways and the like, and Anju couldn't see what the source of the commotion was, but it seemed to be getting everyone's attention.

From somewhere towards the back, down a hallway she couldn't see but assumed was there, came the sound of frantic shouts and angry screams, smashing, banging, breaking glass, and every other kind of cacophony you could think of. Also, scratching. There was definitely something scratching against the dirty tiled flooring… But what? There was something familiar about the sound… she was sure she'd heard that sound somewhere before, but where?

Other officers and workers had moved to see what all the noise was about, and several of them let out gasps of surprise or bewildered exclamations. There was another shout and a crash down the hall, and the small crowd that had gathered to see what was going on began desperately tripping over each other to get out of the way.

A large grey blur burst from the hallway, bumping into a woman who let out a terrified shriek that nearly split Anju's ears, tossing a manila folder into the air and scattering papers like snow. The thing that had emerged from the hallway had slammed into a desk with a whimper, upsetting a wastebasket, and ambled in slow circles, seemingly disoriented.

"Somebody, catch that thing!" an angry voice bellowed from within the station, and the animal, which looked to Anju to be the largest dog she had ever seen, started as if frightened and began scrambling to get away. Well, she could finally put a name to the scratching sound; it was the dog's claws scratching on the tile, vying for traction.

But what was such a large dog doing running loose in the police station? Was it a drug dog? But then why was everyone shouting and scrambling like they were afraid? And that dog… it really was too large to be a dog…

A man made a swipe for the creature and it let out a savage snarl, teeth glistening dangerously under the electric lighting, snapping its jaws and forcing the man to yelp and jump back.

_It's a wolf…_ Anju realized, her blood turning to frost in her veins. There was a wolf, a real-life, bear-sized _wolf_ trapped with her in the police station… and it looked feral.

There was a loud bang, and the tile behind the wolf chipped, eliciting more screams and a shrill whine from the creature, and a voice yelled from within the building, "Don't shoot, you idiot! You could hit somebody!"

In the confusion and chaos, the wolf's gaze turned and locked on hers, and her breath caught. They were a startlingly clear cobalt blue. She felt her legs turn to jelly as its ears perked up and it began running… _towards her_.

She felt Auru seize her by the arms and pull her to the ground with a hoarse shout right as the massive animal reached the secretaries desk. In a single bound it leapt atop the wooden piece of furniture and launched itself clear over Anju and Auru's heads, landing on the floor behind them with a heavy thud and bolting towards the glass doors. With a crash of tinkling glass, the wolf plowed straight through the window pane and vanished out into the night.

Panting heavily, Auru scrambled to his feet and said, in a dazed sort of way, "What in Farore's name was _that?_"

Anju didn't know how to answer. It wasn't until later that she remembered that the wolf had been wearing a handcuff on his foreleg.

* * *

_Aight, well that's chapter 4 for you guys. Hope you liked it, especially now that stuff is finally starting to happen. Y'all are in for a doozy next time though. _

_Leave me a review and enjoy the rest of your summer, guys! I'll get 5 up as soon as I can, ok? _

_Keep it Zesty, _

_ZC_


	5. A Night at the Museum

_My birthday present to you: Chapter 5. (Although my birthday technically for another week. But who cares?)_

_Also, I made a funny joke in this chapter; my brother's really appreciated it, but I want to see how many of you get it. _

* * *

Chapter 5

A Night at the Museum

Malon Ranch absently ruffled through the cluttered confines of her overnight bag, searching for her toothbrush and singing along absently to the music streaming from her phone, which she'd left charging on the nightstand. It was her favorite band: the Indigo-Go's, a five-piece rock outfit from Termina that was topping the charts with their latest album. Her father had promised her that if she did well in her studies this year, he'd let her and her friends go to Lake Hylia to see them perform. With school ending in just a few weeks, she was down to the wire; thankfully, she had intelligent friends like Saria to help her get through her classes.

Speaking of Saria, the petite green haired girl lay sprawled out on Aryll's bed, staring without seeing at the ceiling of the bedroom. Truth was, this wasn't even Saria's room; Malon's actual roommate was Aryll, but after all the commotion downstairs with the police arresting Link and ruining their poker game, the distraught blonde hadn't left the company of her older brother's best friends, and Saria had decided to fill in the void by staying with Malon rather than her own roommate. Malon grimaced to herself. Poor kid had to share a room with Ruto for two days… What a nightmare. If she were in her position, she'd be hiding in here too.

"Do you think Link's okay?" Saria asked for the umpteenth time that evening. Slinging her towel over her shoulder and snatching up her shower bag, Malon shot her friend an impatient look.

"We went over this, Saria. He's fine. This is Link we're talking about. They probably just made some goofy mistake, and he'll be back in a couple of hours. Stop worrying about it and be grateful the confusion let you slip away from Ruto for awhile. If you're lucky, you may even be able to sleep here tonight instead. I'm sure Aryll won't mind."

Saria sighed, a distracted look on her face. "I know, but… I'm worried. I just have this really bad feeling…"

Malon frowned skeptically. "Yeah, sure. Well, I'm gonna go take a shower now. Try not to memorize every detail of the wallpaper while I'm gone, okay?"

Saria grunted something in response. Satisfied, Malon continued on into the bathroom, switched on the light, dropped her stuff down onto the countertop, and smiled brightly at her reflection. Yuck – she looked horrible. Definitely time to get in the shower. She turned to shut the door behind her before remembering she'd left her phone out in the room.

When Malon reentered the room, Saria was still lying on the bed, lost in thought. Ignoring her melodramatic best friend, Malon set to gathering up her phone, singing along to the last bars of the chorus as she did.

"_And I… I won't ever forgive you! You stole my heart at the sea!"_

Somebody knocked at the door, cutting Malon off abruptly; she hated singing in front of people, best friends and family not included. She didn't even like _speaking_ in front of people. For a girl who used to race horses in competitions, she could be terribly shy sometimes. Shooting a glance over her shoulder at Saria, Malon called out, "Hey, can you get that? I'm a little busy."

She didn't even bother waiting to see that Saria responded; she knew she'd do it. It's not like she had a choice. Shutting the bathroom door behind her, Malon set her phone on the counter and changed songs.

Charles of Moria? That wasn't shower music… Lokomo? Nah, too heavy… Minuet of Forrest? How did Saria's lame Kokiri music get onto her iTunes? Ahh, Music Box House… now that was something she could jam to!

Setting her phone on the counter and turning up the volume, she reached her hand into the shower and turned on the faucet. Outside, she heard the muffled creak of the door swinging open, and Saria's voice saying, "Hello?" just before the sound of running water drowned it all out.

Stripping off her clothes and stepping into the warm water, she decided to trust the white noise to obscure her singing voice; and so Malon continued her solo karaoke performance while she washed and conditioned her hair.

"…_just put your… hands up in the air! Sway like you… just don't care! Our sound will control you, feel the rhythm unroll you, cause you ain't… goin' nowhere!" _

Halfway through the bridge, she broke down in a fit of giggles, putting the bottle of body wash back on the counter and ruefully wondering what Saria was thinking of the private gig. She'd better not be recording her; they'd been through that ordeal once before. She went through another four songs before deciding that she was clean enough. Turning the water off, she groped for her towel and dried herself off before remembering that somebody had knocked on the door.

Reaching for her phone, she paused the music and called out, "Hey Saria, who was at the door?"

There was a pause as she waited, shivering slightly as a vent blew conditioned air on her; nobody answered. Scowling to herself, she carefully wrapped her body up in her now-wet towel and unlocked the door, peeking out into the room.

"Saria? Who was that at– … Saria?"

The room was empty.

"Huh…" Malon mused to herself quietly before shrugging and closing the bathroom door once more. Had she gone to check on Aryll? Or maybe she'd decided that a night alone with Ruto was better than enduring Malon's singing…

She frowned at that thought for a moment before mentally saying 'screw it!' and turning the music back up. Nobody around meant nobody to judge; she might as well enjoy herself.

* * *

The only thing stopping Midna from turning around right that second and returning to the hotel was the fact that she had no idea how to get back.

Hey, Castleton was a big place, full of lots of winding streets and tall, shining buildings. Everything looked exactly the same. How these people lived here, she had no idea, but how people got around after dark was even more perplexing. And all the traffic… How was there this much traffic at midnight?! Why weren't these people at home sleeping or watching reruns of Family Guy like sane Hyrulians?! What could they possibly be doing out on the road this late at night?

_Maybe they're trying to break into a museum…_ came the grouchy, sarcastic voice of her inner narrator. Well, perhaps they were. If so, they really sucked at it, because there was nobody here but them.

Maybe that was the part that was giving her the heebie-jeebies. Not the curfew breaking, not risking suspension (or expulsion) from school mere weeks away from graduation, not the possibility of law breaking, or the fact that her boyfriend was likely facing jail time by even being in the vicinity of the Museum… No, the thing that was bothering her was how alone they were.

There was literally nobody else in sight. The parking lot was abandoned. Nobody passed by on the streets. Even the closest cars were the ones on the highway, driving too fast to take notice of the gaggle of teenagers staring up at the government owned historical center, contemplating illegal motions. She almost wished they would. Maybe then the rest of them would get spooked out, and they could go back to the hotel.

The six teens were crouched behind a row of properly groomed hedges near one of the side entrances to the museum. The bus they'd taken from the subway had dropped them off on the opposite side of the building than the one they had entered earlier that morning. Sheik had been all about marching right up and breaking down the door, but Midna had convinced them to scope the building first, looking for security. Her hope had been that they'd be scared away; her hopes had fallen through when she'd realized they were completely alone.

They sat by the eastern exit now; not quite as large as the one they'd entered that morning, but that only meant it was easier for them to remain hidden. They'd been keeping watch on the door, waiting for something, some sign of movement or life, but so far they'd been unsuccessful. There was nobody. They were alone.

Scowling bitterly, Midna dug her fingernails into the cold earth and wracked her brains for a way out of their predicament. Sheik wasn't in a cooperating mood. Of the other four nutcases in their party, the only one with any common sense (i.e. Aryll) had decided to give up her sanity in exchange for a futile, outward demonstration of fraternal love. This left her as the last sane man standing, with the sole responsibility of keeping them out of jail. Lovely.

"Why is it so quiet?" Marin whispered from where she was stooped on Aryll's other side. A cricket chirped somewhere off in the distance, the only sound aside from the occasional gust of wind and the cars on the distant highway.

Midna rolled her eyes. "Well, that's what happens at night time when all the people go to sleep."

"'Tis the calm before the storm… The universe providing dramatic tension to prelude our heroic-"

"That's not what I meant," Marin cut in, making Ralph trip over his words and retreat into an embarrassed silence. "I mean, where are all the police? I thought there would be a lot of them here, since it's technically a crime scene and all, but… We're alone."

Midna opened her mouth to respond, then hesitated. She was right; there ought to have been a gaggle of police officers here, questioning people, or taking evidence, or _something_. And even if they'd finished all of that earlier that night, she would have thought they'd place a few of them here for extra security. Instead, they found the museum basically abandoned. There weren't even any regular museum security guards patrolling the grounds. If security was this lax, no wonder someone was able to steal something from the museum.

Still, something smelled wrong about the whole scenario…

"Do you think maybe nobody's here?" Aryll asked, a note of trepidation to her voice, and hope surged inside of Midna; maybe now that they were actually here, the gravity of the situation finally broke through Aryll's thick skull, and she was rethinking her decision of backing Sheik. Maybe Midna could convince her to turn around and go back to the hotel. There was a light at the end of the tunnel!

"No, someone's here," Sheik said softly, his gaze locked on the doors of the museum.

"What? How do you know?" Midna asked, squinting at the doors herself. There was no movement.

"Because. I can see him," he replied simply.

"See who?"

"Linebeck."

"Linebeck?!" Midna asked, flabbergasted, almost standing up before checking herself and remaining crouched… Though honestly, she was so short that it didn't really matter. "Where? I don't see anybody!"

"There," Sheik replied, pointing through a gap in the hedge. "In the security booth."

Midna squinted doubtfully towards the window of the security booth. "Sheik, it's pitch black out. You're seriously going to tell me that you can see someone in there?"

"Yes."

"Actually…" Marin said slowly, widening the gap through the leaves of the plant she was making with her fingers, "I think… He's right."

"I don't see nothin'," said Groose flatly.

"Me neither," Aryll echoed from between Midna and Sheik.

"He's definitely there," Sheik maintained resolutely.

"Sheik, even if there's somebody in that booth, how do you know it's Linebeck?" Midna asked logically. If she was being fair, there probably was somebody in the booth; just because there was nobody outside didn't mean they didn't have security inside. That would just be nonsensical. But the museum probably had loads of people on the payroll as security guards; what were the chances that the guy on the booth at this particular door at this particular moment was their one-time portly janitor?

Her boyfriend shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, guess there's only one way to find out."

And just like that, he surged through the hedges and began boldly striding up to doors of the museum.

Midna would have screamed were she not trying to keep quiet. As it were, she gestured violently with her hands, tore off several branches of the hedge, and let out such a torrent of hissed curses that even Ralph looked at her askance.

Honestly, was he _trying_ to get himself arrested?! What part of this seemed like a good plan? Since when was it her job to remain cool and level-headed? _She_ was the brash, impulsive one in the group! You see what happens when you put her in this position? Everything falls to-

Midna felt her stomach drop out. Sheik had reached the window, raised his fist, and began loudly banging on the glass.

"Ok, we gotta go," Midna breathed, and the others agreed instantly.

Gathering up her wits, Midna rose from her crouch and pushed her way through the hedge, Aryll and Marin following close behind. Ralph emerged a second later with Groose, who hissed, "I thought you meant _leave_!"

Midna ignored him. Hurrying forward, her shoes tapping softly against the red stone bricks beneath them and the shadows cast from the orange street lamps ghosting along before them, Midna quickly caught up to her boyfriend, who was calmly examining the darkened glass of the security booth.

"Sheik," Midna hissed violently, grabbing at his arm and digging her nails into his flesh for emphasis, "_have you gone completely insane?_"

He winced, but smiled lightly and said, "Probably."

"Seriously, what did you hope to accomplish with this?!" It was hard to yell when you were trying to keep your voice down, but she was doing a darn good job of it.

"This," he replied, nodding towards the door.

Turning her head, Midna felt her jaw drop open. Emerging from the darkness behind the glass, inserting a key into the lock of the door, was the thunderous face of one ex-janitor Linebeck.

"Wait," Midna blurted out quickly as the door pushed open and he prepared himself for whatever he was going to say, "Wait. It's really you? You're really here? Out of all the janitors in the museum, _you're_ the one who answers? I… This… I'm confused."

Sheik was smirking. "Told you so."

"First of all," Linebeck said, ignoring Midna and taking in the six of them with a foreign look of disdain on his face, "security guard, not janitor. And second, _what in Farore's name are you doing here?!_ It's after midnight, and you're going to make me lose my job! I'm in no mood for entertaining whiny brats, and you're already on security cameras, so it's best if you leave now before-"

Sheik slapped his hand against the glass of the window, causing everyone in the vicinity, Linebeck included, to jump.

"Why did you do it?" her boyfriend cut in harshly. Of the two, Linebeck was certainly bigger, but Sheik was still somehow managing to loom over the older man. His blood-red irises gave him an added advantage when it came to intimidation. Linebeck swallowed involuntarily, then scowled and tried to rally.

"Don't interrupt me, emo! My boss could come along any minute now-"

Sheik slapped his hand once more on the window, reducing Linebeck to furious splutters.

"Oh, come off it," Sheik snapped disdainfully. "You're lucky it was me banging on the window and not one of your co-workers; you were passed out in that chair, snoring away without a care in the world. I may have just saved you your job, so why don't you shut your ungrateful mouth and answer me!"

Linebeck's face was growing redder and redder with every word Sheik spoke, and he was trembling from pent up rage. He never did have a good temperament, that Linebeck. His thin, shoulder length salt-and-pepper hair was askew, probably from sleeping in his chair, and his goatee was frizzy. His heavy scowl and bulbous red nose only served to make him look comical, not threatening. His eyes were red-rimmed and hollow, likely from exhaustion; if he hadn't left the museum since they'd seen him that morning, she didn't blame him for passing out in the booth. Still, now wasn't the time to be sympathetic.

"Why did you do it? Why did you frame Link for the robbery? And after he saved your life!"

"I- what? Frame? I didn't frame anybody, you little-! … Listen, emo, the kid's a good guy, I'll give you that, but if he wants to go around being a criminal, that's not my problem. Let the police deal with it, it's their job. And besides, _he_ didn't save my life, so you can stop the guilt trip. It ain't working."

Sheik was furious; his face was nearly as pink as Linebeck's, and his whole body was quaking with fury. Deciding a little peer-intervention was needed before Sheik tried to tackle Linebeck through the glass door, Midna spoke up.

"Linebeck, it wasn't Link. It _can't_ have been Link. He was with us the entire day; when would he have even had time to sneak off down here and steal something? And why would he anyway? This is _Link_ we're talking about! You know him! He wouldn't do that!"

"Listen, Sparks," Linebeck said, adopting one of those calm, adult, lecturing tones that she loathed so much. "I like the kid, I do, but it's out of my hands. I saw the footage, and there's no mistake – that's the kid alright. No doubt about it."

"Footage?"

"Can we see it? Please?" Aryll cut in suddenly, her voice quiet and hopeful.

Linebeck blinked, caught off-guard at the change in tone. "Can you…? Of course you can't see it! What do you think this is, a playground? Kiddies aren't supposed to be here this late at night! Now all of you get out before one of the patrols come by, and we all get carted off to jail!"

"What patrols?" Midna asked.

"The other security guards, Sparkles," Linebeck said flatly, shooting her a dull look. "What, did you think we were alone out here?"

"… What security guards?" Marin asked from behind Midna.

"What-?! T-the other security guards that you all snuck past to get in here!"

The six teenagers exchanged looks.

"Um… Linebeck? There aren't any security guards out here," Midna said awkwardly. "Nobody's out here. We walked around the whole building just to make sure. It's just us and whoever's inside."

Linebeck looked nonplussed. "I… They… Nobody's out there?"

"Nope," Sheik said, an edge of anger still in his voice.

"But…" he trailed off, looking confused, before snatching up his walkie-talkie and speaking into the receiver. "This is the booth, over. Is anybody out there? Requesting confirmation. Over."

There was a static crackle, then nothing. Linebeck tried again, and again, but with the same result. Looking baffled and mildly fearful, he switched the frequency and fired off another message, which again went unanswered.

"That proof enough for you?"

"But I…" Linebeck trailed off, staring at the black radio in his hands. "I don't get it… Where'd everybody go? Did we get the night off, and nobody told me?"

"You were probably sleeping," Sheik said impatiently. "Now are you gonna let us in or not?"

"No, I'm not going to let you in! Why should I anyway?! What would be the point in-?!"

Sheik exploded. "Because it's the right thing to do! Because thanks to you, an innocent guy is in jail and may have the rest of his future ruined! And because even if he didn't save your life _directly_, I did! And you owe me one! So get off your high-horse, you misappropriated sack of corpulence, and let us in!"

It occurred to Midna that while her vocabulary was finally starting to rub off on her boyfriend, it wasn't exactly a victory until she taught him exactly what those words meant… Thankfully, Linebeck didn't seem to know either. The older man was spluttering in self-righteous indignation, apparently brought to incoherence at Sheik's little outburst, and Midna was again grateful that there was nobody around to hear her boyfriend's excitable shouts.

Finally, after an eternity of quaking and grumbling, Linebeck moved; to her immense surprise, he took a step back and pulled the door all the way open, ushering them in. As she passed by him from the chilly night air into the more-or-less warm confines of the spacious atrium, she heard Linebeck grumble something along the lines of, "Prove you wrong, disrespectful brats…"

Midna could have laughed for joy; they did it! They found Linebeck and got into the museum! Somehow, Sheik's totally hapless and nonsensical, made-up-as-they-went plan worked! Who could have guessed?! It was mind-boggling! Zelda would be having conniptions if she-!

Oh, Nayru.

Midna froze where she was standing as Linebeck locked the door behind them, still grumbling, and the other teens awkwardly milled around like lost sheep. Aryll was the first to notice her expression of horror and asked, "Mid, what's wrong."

"Crap…" Midna breathed, turning her attention to Aryll and startling the girl with the look of terror she had plastered on her face.

"What? Midna, what is it?"

"I forgot to tell Zelda!"

From the way Aryll's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, she hadn't thought of contacting her brother's girlfriend either. They were screwed.

"Oh, Din, she's gonna be so pissed when she finds out Link got arrested, and we all snuck out of the hotel in some harebrained scheme to prove Link's innocence without her!"

"Or maybe just be pissed that we did this at all."

"Yeah, that too…" They exchanged quiet looks.

"So… You wanna call her?"

"What? Nuh-uh, no way. You're the best friend, you do it."

"But you're practically her sister-in-law!" Midna pleaded, feeling desperate. "She'll be less inclined to kill you!"

"I am not!" Aryll hissed back, looking indignant. "Besides, it was your boyfriend's stupid plan in the first place! This is your responsibility!"

"Since when am I responsible for his actions?!"

"Since when is Sheik 'responsible'?!"

Midna's mouth worked soundlessly; Aryll had her there.

"I… But… Gah! Alright, fine! I'll do it! Happy?!" she finally snarled, digging her phone out of her back pocket.

"No," Aryll grumped morosely. "She's going to kill us all regardless."

Linebeck had finally joined them. Giving them a slow once-over and sighing heavily, he muttered, "Alright then, let's just get this over with. We keep the controls for the surveillance system back here."

As he started leading them across the atrium, they passed the Great Fairy Fountain, which seemed to glow eerily in the darkness, and towards a room behind the reception desk, Midna scrolled through her contacts' list until she found Zelda. Their footsteps echoed throughout the silent museum, the only sound to be heard aside from their ragged breathing. The whole place gave off the feel of a mausoleum; a shrine to house the dead history of their nation. It gave her the creeps, now that she thought about it.

Mustering up all of her courage, she went to hit the call button.

An effeminate giggle sounded from somewhere behind them, making her pause.

As one, the six intruders and the security guard whirled on the spot, startled and searching for the source of the noise, but they found nothing. The atrium was quiet again.

"Um…" Groose said dully, looking uneasy. "Did you guys just hear…?"

The phone was still held up to Midna's ear, but she wasn't paying attention anymore; the call she'd intended to make was all but forgotten.

Suddenly, Ralph blurted out, "Up there!"

Following his pointed finger with her eyes, Midna found herself staring at the top of the Great Fairy Statue. There, perched with impossible balance, was the shadowed figure of a person…

Midna rubbed at her eyes in disbelief.

"W-what?!" Linebeck blathered, sounding both enraged and baffled. "How did…?! Where do…?! When did…?!"

His mouth worked silently for a few moments, battling over which question he wanted to shoot first before finally settling on, "_How are you doing that?!_"

The figure (which could be male or female, she couldn't tell) chuckled again in that high, clear effeminate voice. Midna could see well enough in the dim atrium to tell that it had turned its head to regard them, but it didn't wobble once from where it was perched gargoyle-like atop the statue's head, a good fifteen feet off the ground. It didn't answer Linebeck's question, though.

Sheik suddenly blurted out angrily, "Hey! Freak! Were you the one who stole from the museum and got my friend arrested?!"

The figure gave out an unmistakable yawn, stretching its arms lazily over its head, still never wobbling. The supernatural balancing act would have been a sight to behold were she not so terrified. There was a foreboding feeling in the air, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Sheik's hunch was dead-on. Not that it would have taken Nancy Drew to figure that one out; mysterious acrobats sneaking into museums in the dead of night? What else would they be there for?

When the figure didn't answer right away, Sheik stepped closer as if to shout again, or worse, try to knock the person off the statue, when it finally spoke.

"Oh, mortals…" it drawled in an amused tone. "So twitchy and fluttery… Ever so amusing, the way you waste away your miniscule lives in impotency, chirping in futility like newly hatched birds in a maelstrom... I never did understand what she saw in you."

"What…?" Marin mumbled, a confused look on her face. Midna shook her head, equally perplexed. She had no idea what was going on.

"What are you talking about?!" Sheik bellowed, indignant. "Hey! Answer me!"

"A shame that I don't have time to play with you tonight, children," the voice called down from its perch. "I have more important guests to attend to. Oh, but it wouldn't do to leave you unattended, would it? Let's see… Ah, I have just the little playmate for you. Do try to behave, won't you, while I'm gone?"

Before they could react, the figure raised a solitary hand, snapped its fingers… and was gone.

Midna blinked in shock.

"Uh…" came Aryll's unsteady voice from her side. "Did… did you all just see that? I'm not going crazy, right?"

"Um…?" was all Midna could answer.

Before her mind could attempt to process what had just taken place above the Great Fairy's head, there was a sharp crack off to the side, and a strange, eerie sound, like multiple children laughing in discordant harmony at the same time. Midna whipped her head in the direction of the noise, her heart pounding in her chest, and tried her best to peer through the darkness. At her side, Aryll clutched her arm.

"Midna," she breathed, sounding panicky, "what's going-?"

A sudden light illuminated the darkness where the sound had come from, and the huddled group of confused and frightened friends found themselves staring in bewilderment at the form of a small boy.

For the most part, he looked normal; in smudged tennis shoes and grubby shorts under a black T-shirt with a skull design on the front, he looked the picture of your average outgoing and rebellious seven year old… Were it not for the fact that he was hovering about five feet off the ground while lying on his side, head propped up on a hand that was supported only by air. He was also illuminated as if by two spotlights that didn't exist, the light simply emanating from nowhere. But the weirdest thing of all was the mask he wore on his face. It was large, obscuring his entire head, and was vaguely heart-shaped, with spikes along the edges and huge, yellow eyes that stared manically into the nothingness around them. The mask was a mess of tribal tattoos, blue and red and purple and green, and was probably one of the most disturbing things Midna had ever seen… and that was saying something.

Midna was so startled by the child's sudden appearance that she didn't notice her finger had slipped and hit the call button.

"Hey, kid!" Linebeck suddenly blurted out, fumbling a bit at the 'kid' bit, "That mask… it's Majora's Mask, the one that got stolen earlier tonight! How'd you get it?!"

Apparently, Linebeck had chosen to ignore the fact that the 'kid' was _hovering in midair_.

But that was it… Right? He was ignoring it because he must have realized first that this was all some elaborate hoax. They were probably using wires or something; they were distracting them with this performance so the real thieves could take their time looting the museum… Right, that made perfect sense… But Midna didn't care about the museum; she cared about getting the heck outta there and maybe getting that mask back to prove Link was innocent. Maybe. As long as she didn't get shot at or something.

The boy… flying, mask, thing, creature, whatever… laughed. It was a bizarre, cackling sort of laugh, that came out in that same odd, echoing way that it did before… Like a dozen schoolchildren were giggling simultaneously, and their chorus of voices eerie and distorted. Turning his masked face to Linebeck, in its echoing voice that still somehow managed to come across as haughty and arrogant, the boy said, "Well. So you recognize my face. That's a relief. I guess congratulations are in order; you guys seem to know a thing or two about the legends."

Riveted as she was on the boy's words, Midna hardly noticed the sound of the phone ringing in her ear.

"Hey…" the boy said, suddenly righting himself and leaning forward intently as if recognizing them, "I know you! I saw you all this morning!" He suddenly started cackling again, doubling over in amusement. "What, you guys love this place so much you couldn't stay away and had to break in here at night?"

Sheik stepped forward, scowling darkly, and jabbed a finger at the boy in the air. "Hey, midget! Shut up for a second and give that mask back!"

The boy cocked his head to the side. "Give the mask back…? You want my face? But that's no fun… Oh, I know! Why don't we play a game? I love games! Let's see… Ooh! A test! A test about the Hero of Time! You guys seem to like history so much, this should be a breeze! If you win, you get the mask. If not…" He trailed off ominously.

Sheik growled, "We're not here to play any _games_ with you, kid. We're just here for the mask."

The phone stopped ringing suddenly, and a familiar voice on the other end of the line said, "Hello? Midna?"

The masked boy pouted. "Aw, don't be like that… Games are fun! I thought you'd be excited! I mean, after all, you all seem to love history so much, and…"

The dimly lit room went suddenly pitch black, all except for the mask, which glowed with a creepy purple light.

"… I'm giving you the chance to become part of it."

There was wind, and there was cold, but most of all, there was darkness. The world was spinning, her hair was whipping around her, and she couldn't feel Aryll at her side any longer. Clutching her phone, the only solid thing she could still feel, she cried out, "Z-Zelda, we… The museum…!"

And then everything was gone.

* * *

Giggling in his throat, Darunia turned around on the bed, trapping his girlfriend beneath him while satisfaction and anticipation built up rapidly inside of him like a soda pop fit to burst. They'd spent hours trying to get away from the chaperones and other students and finally snag some of that 'quality time' he so desperately craved. However, their first few attempts had been massive failures. Auru had caught them the first time, and they'd spent a good long while running up and down staircases, trying to avoid Syrup and Nabooru like a real life version of Pac-Man, but it was all worth it for this final moment.

Who knew that the safest place to be was in Ruto's own bedroom? According to her, Saria, her green-haired roommate, would probably be hanging out with Hero's little sister all night, which meant they'd more than likely have the room all to themselves…

And that meant…

Darunia bit down on Ruto's lip, and she inhaled sharply through her nose, grunting in appreciation. Oh yeah, he was good. Letting his eyes slide open, he was met with the light blue, heavily lidded gaze of his lover. She was giving him 'the look.' Nayru, but he loved 'the look.' Finally, this stupid field trip was worth something…

Right as Darunia's hand began to slide under the hem of Ruto's shirt, there was a sharp knock at the door.

Both teens stiffened, eyes flying wide and giving each other panicked looks.

"What do we do?" Darunia hissed, convinced that Astrid had finally caught up to them. That lady had had it out for him the whole trip.

"Uh… nothing," Ruto whispered back breathlessly. "Just act like we're asleep. They'll leave us alone."

"What if it's your roommate?"

"She has a key; why would she knock?"

After a few heart-pounding seconds of silence, Darunia allowed himself the hopeful thought that perhaps they were in the clear… Until the pounding returned, this time more insistent.

Sighing, Darunia pushed himself up off of his girlfriend and crept towards the door.

"Roonie!" Ruto squeaked, "Wait! Where are you going?!"

"To see who it is!" he called back, tripping over his discarded pants.

"What?! But… This is my room! If they see you in here, we'll get expelled!"

"Don't worry! I'm just gonna peek through the eyehole, that's all. If it's a teacher, I'll hide under the bed or something. We got this, babe. No worries."

She still looked doubtful, but Darunia knew what he was doing. Creeping as silently as his bulky football captain body could manage, he slowly reached the door and lowered his eye toward the keyhole.

"Roonie… Roonie, who is it?" Ruto called fearfully from the bed.

Darunia felt a smirk appear on his face. "Heh. It's a friend. Gimme a sec, and I'll shoo him away."

Unlocking the door, Darunia pulled it open a crack and peeked out into the hallway with a grin on his face.

"Hey Hero, you mind coming back later-?"

The door slammed inward violently, and Darunia's world went dark.

* * *

Heart pounding, head racing, and tail wagging, Link Hero sprinted pell-mell down a pitch-black alleyway somewhere in the middle of downtown Castleton. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, flapping in the wind as Link struggled valiantly to simultaneously sort through the distorted colors and sounds all round him and still get his motor-functions to work properly. His paws skittered on dirty pavement, the darkness no longer a hindrance to one with senses as acute as his currently were. Dodging left past a rusted dumpster, he leaped bodily over a pile of broken bottles and tried his best to ignore the stench of rot and refuse now magnified immensely to his canine nostrils.

All the while, a little ditty kept passing through his head. It went something like this:

'_ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap!'_

Link was a dog. A really big dog. Scratch that, he was pretty sure he was a wolf, although to be honest he'd never really paid much attention to the difference. One was man's best friend, and the other was bigger, meaner, and would probably kill you if there weren't three little pigs or a flock of sheep handy to occupy his time. He supposed he ought to be grateful that he'd become such a large, formidable creature as opposed to something useless, like a turtle or a snail, but still… He wasn't too happy about his current predicament.

What a lovely night he was having. First his girlfriend gets pissed at him, then he gets arrested for something he didn't do, gets a visit from Sir Creeps-A-Lot, who uses flashy demon gypsy magic to turn him into a slobbery mutt, and then leaves him to break out of the police station, dodging bullets and stray vehicles in a body he can't control.

He was pretty sure Officers Station and Poe were going to get suspended for letting him escape, but he couldn't bring himself to muster any pity for the two bumbling wanna-be cops. He was also pretty sure that he'd jumped over Auru and Anju of all people just before he'd ran through that pane of glass (which hurt like a mother, mind), though his eyes must have been playing tricks on him; Auru was one thing, but why would Anju have been in the police station in Castleton? That didn't make any sense. She was supposed to be off in Kakariko with Kafei going to school. Probably just another look-alike; Farore knew they'd had enough of those tonight.

When he'd first gotten onto the streets, he'd nearly been flattened on the highway by a semi-truck. Forcing his bizarre quadruped body to move, he'd leapt out of the way of the offending car, its loud horn blaring, and nearly got sideswiped by a Corvette. He'd spent a few seconds running in panicked circles in a demented retake of Frogger, trying desperately to not die, before it occurred to him to _get off the road. _

His first thoughts had been to get back to the hotel, where Zelda was, until he remembered his vision; the dream he'd had, where he'd spoken to the Goddess Farore shortly before awakening from his coma in the hospital last year after the shooting. She'd warned him that something like this was going to happen, and she'd given him explicit instructions: find your other half. He'd forgotten the dream immediately afterwards, but it came back to him when he needed it. Find his other half… He knew what that meant. The only problem was… how did he get there?

Bursting from the alleyway, Link turned his head, involuntarily sniffing the air. There were cars, oil, dirt, cement, people, rats, sewage, pot smoke, garbage, fast food, bad cologne, trees…

Wait, trees… He could smell wood, damp soil, and fungi somewhere not too far away. Ears perking up, Link turned his snout and began running south along the sidewalk. A couple of ratty, drugged out teenagers yelped and jumped out of the way as Link barreled past, and try as he might, he couldn't help accidentally overturning a trashcan and a stack of soggy cardboard. He still needed a lot of practice in this body; it was harder than it looked, running on four legs.

Reaching the intersection, Link hopped up on his hind legs and slapped his paw onto the button that controlled the pedestrian crossing signal. Settling down again, he calmly waited for the light to change, signaling it was safe to cross, panting all the while.

A homeless man sitting next to a business behind him was giving him an odd look, but Link nervously avoided eye contact.

When it turned green, Link bolted across the street, continuing on his merry way. After a few minutes, the buildings began to taper out, replaced by more rural scenery. Grateful to be off the streets, Link scampered into the shrubbery, letting the shadows and trees cloak him from foreign eyes.

He went for a few minutes before stopping next to a rotted log to think. Alright, which way to the Grove…? He was pretty sure the bus had driven north from the museum, but that didn't mean much, considering he'd left on his quest from the police station rather than the hotel, which… honestly could have been anywhere. What he needed was a map…

His paw jerked backward awkwardly for a moment before remembering that he was wolf, and wolves didn't carry electronics, or even wear pants for that matter. Even if they did, his phone was still at the police station. Great; of all the times he ignored his Google Maps app, the one time he really needed it, he was a dog. Figures.

Another horrifying though occurred to him. Even if he managed to somehow find the Grove and make his way inside to the sword… How was he supposed to draw it?! He didn't have any hands!

Letting out a whine, Link flopped onto the mossy ground, his chin resting on his paws. All well and good for Lord Ghirahim, circus performer extraordinaire, to turn him into an animal to help him get out of jail and then _not tell him how to become human again_. He was really starting to regret deciding to take that guy up on his offer. Something told him he was just bad news.

Well… Maybe he could… Bite the handle? That might work… or it might break his teeth out… Would that sort of thing carry over into his human form? If he ever managed to make it back to his human form…

The trees beside him rustled suddenly, and Link leapt to his feet, shoulders hunched, fur on end, teeth bared. A figure was approaching through the darkness – a tall, skinny man with pointed ears…

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" a voice asked softly from the shadows.

Link backed away nervously, ready to pounce or flee if need be. There was something strange about this person, even more than the fact that they were talking to stray dogs late at night in the middle of the woods… It took Link a second to realize what it was; whoever this person was, they had no scent.

Just before Link decided to give into his instincts and make a break for it, the figure moved out of the darkness and into the little clearing that Link had settled in.

Link felt his jaw drop, which must have looked bizarre for a wolf to do.

It was Mr. Happy, the museum curator.

He looked the same as he had that morning, with the dress slacks and purple-and-gold shirt and his orange comb-over. His hands were still clasped in front of him in a pleading manner, and his squinty eyes and omnipresent smile were fixed on Link.

"Yes… You are under a dark enchantment, aren't you, Hero?"

Link stiffened. How had he known…? But no. Something in the way he'd said the word 'Hero' let Link know it wasn't his name he was using, but his title. He knew. He knew this wolf was the Hero of Time.

Bowing slightly, the man… the _thing_ continued, "I would offer you help, but what I can give you cannot at the moment receive… And anyway, I am bound… Old treatises, old agreements… You must first ask, Hero. You must ask for the aid you seek."

Link had no idea what was going on or who this man, person, being was. Why he had no scent. Why he seemed to know who and what Link was. Or how he'd come to be there. What Link did know… was that he was done with getting help from strange men; just look where the last one had gotten him.

Taking a step back, Link shook his head defiantly.

Mr. Happy studied him quietly. "Yes… Perhaps that is for the best for the present. You have much yet to do, and the hour is still early… but do remember this, Hero of Time: you are never alone. Help will always come to those who _ask_. Do not be ashamed to do so; you never know when somebody may just need your help in return…"

A high pitched scream split the forest, startling the owls in the trees and the sleeping creatures in their dens. Link's head wrenched to the left in the direction of the sound, but when he quickly turned his attention back to Mr. Happy, he was gone.

Link blinked in confusion, scanning the surrounding forest with trepidation and finding nothing. Where had he gone? What had he meant, asking for help? When was Link ever the type to do something himself? The events at the end of the shooting floated to the surface of his memory, but he shoved them away. That was different; he didn't have a choice. But he let others help him when he needed it… Right?

And how was he supposed to ask for help anyway? He couldn't even talk!

The scream sounded again, and Link started. With Happy's sudden disappearance, he'd nearly forgotten! Turning on the spot, Link bounded off into the darkness, sprinting towards the sounds of distress.

He arrived at another moonlit clearing only a few hundred yards away and skid to a halt, stunned. Backed against a tree in the far corner of the clearing was what he thought was a young girl under the age of ten, holding aloft a fallen branch defensively as she huddled against herself and screamed, trying to ward away the figures that were approaching her.

And the figures…

If it weren't for Link's improved eyesight and sense of smell, he wouldn't have believed what he was seeing. As it were, he still almost didn't believe it, simply because he didn't _want_ to. There, in the clearing, slowly advancing towards the helpless child with stiff, jerky movements were a dozen of the most horrifying, disgusting looking nightmares Link had ever seen.

Every one of them was like the first; short, maybe three feet tall, they were composed only of bone and hunks of rotting flesh. No muscle, no clothing, just rotted skin stretched taut over yellow, pitted bone. In the hollows of their eyes glowed a murderous, red, ethereal light that fixed itself upon the girl with dark desire.

Link was numb with shock, but that didn't stop Mr. Happy's words from passing through his head one more time.

_You never know when somebody may just need your help in return…_

Without another thought, Link burst into the clearing, snarling viciously to grab the creatures' attention and snapping his powerful jaws down on the torso of the first. It wasn't until he felt it crunch under his teeth that he realized – _he was chewing on dead people_. Coughing, if dogs could be said to cough, Link stumbled backward trying to gag the bitter, putrid taste of bone and decayed flesh out of his mouth. Glancing up, Link noticed all of the creatures had turned towards him. There was a moment's pause, as though they were confused over his sudden appearance, but then one by one they began tottering in his direction.

Fighting down the voice in his head that was screaming like a sixth grader at a horror movie, Link forced himself to move.

Were this impromptu nighttime brawl in the woods occurring over a year ago, he would have lost. Link wasn't much of a fighter before the events of the Ordon High Massacre, but ever since receiving the Triforce of Courage, it was as though his body simply knew how to move in a fight. His super ninja battle instincts, as he'd taken to calling them, thankfully translated over to his wolf body despite his superficial mark apparently not having done so. He knew how to fight with his paws and massive, bone-crushing jaws. He knew where weak spots were located to aid him in turning the skeletal pygmy monsters from walking nightmares to piles of foul smelling dust. And he knew how to use the surroundings to his advantage.

Rather than wait for the creatures to make it to him, Link bounded forward, zig-zagging through the group at a speed far faster than they could manage. A few futilely tried to swipe at him with the broken, disease-ridden endings of their distal phalanges, but their attacks met only air. Reaching the back of the pack, Link turned suddenly and seized one of the skeleton's necks in his mouth, twisting his head violently and decapitating it, crushing the vertebrae into powder beneath his jaws like rancid Smarties.

He didn't stop there; he swerved and pitted, bit and snapped, ripped and crunched, and left a veritable whirlwind of death behind him. At one moment he lunged forward, leapt towards a tree, landed with all four paws on the trunk, and used it as a springboard to change directions quickly and tackle three of the monsters in one go.

In what felt like an eternity of the thrilling terror of a battle in the dark, filled with glowing eyes and skeletal aberrations straight out of a horror story, but in actuality couldn't have lasted more than perhaps a minute, Link found himself standing alone in a pile of leaves and dust. The last remnants of bone disintegrated before his very eyes and blew away as a breeze rustled through the trees. Panting heavily, tongue still lolling out of his mouth, Link quickly scanned the darkness outside the clearing and strained his senses, searching for more danger.

Where had those creatures come from? More importantly, _what_ were they?! Skeletons, that much was obvious, but… Skeletons didn't get up and start moving again; that kind of stuff only happened in the movies and old legends…

Link felt his heart drop. Oh great… the old legends… Link had accepted last year that there was a certain truth to the old legends, in the sense that the Triforce was real, and the Hero of Time, Princess of Destiny, and King of Thieves were all actual people who were constantly reborn whenever the Goddesses deemed them necessary; but the rest of the old legends he had somehow managed to conveniently forget about. Maybe he'd just allowed himself to keep on thinking that they were simply fanciful fairytales and that the reality of the old legends was much more normal that he'd always been told.

Yet why should it be? Ganondorf _and_ Zelda had both used magic at the end of last year, and his girlfriend continued using it today, trying to learn its secrets. She claimed to have spoken to the Goddess Nayru on a handful of occasions, and the memory he'd reclaimed that night proved that he'd also spoken with a goddess, Farore. And the appearance of Ghirahim in the police station, the odd black stone that had transformed Link into a wolf, and the vanishing museum curator here in the woods all seemed like giant neon signs pointing out what a giant idiot Link had been, and yet… He still couldn't seem to wrap his brain around the fact that along with all the other nonsense, monsters might just be real too.

"Hey, puppy!"

Starting in surprise, Link whirled around, hackles raised and a guttural growl already forming in his throat. Light, _another_ person sneaking up on him tonight?! What was wrong with the world?!

However, he felt the growl die when his eyes landed on the petite figure of a small child crawling out from the underbrush. Oh, right; the whole reason he'd burst into this clearing chomping on mini-skeletons like a starving man with a calcium deficiency was because her scream had sent him running in the first place. How could he have forgotten that? Wow, he was really bad at this Hero thing… He was surprised she hadn't run off though. Why was she still here?

As the girl straightened up and faced him, he felt shock wash over him for the umpteenth time that evening. He knew this girl! Link had rescued her and another orphan from the smelly homeless man that morning! Din, what was she doing out in the middle of the woods?!

Tatl, he believed her name was, looked a little worse for the wear – decked out in the same ratty white sundress and worn flip-flops that she'd had on that morning, Link could see a few new tears along the hem, which didn't quite manage to cover her bony kneecaps, calloused from days probably spent running around outside. Likewise, her nails on her feet and hands were chipped, and judging by the way the old sundress was browning near the bottom, the orphanage she stayed at was undergoing some financial difficulty.

The girl could have actually been quite pretty under different circumstances; she had a pointed nose and chin, bright brown eyes, almost hazel, and golden hair that she held back in a pony tail at the top of her head and fell into natural curls just to her shoulders. A few curly, messy bangs fell in front of her face. The only thing detracting from her look was the flat, angry scowl on her face and heavy pout on her lips.

Before Link could begin to think on how to react to her appearance, a little orphan child apparently lost and alone in the woods at the dead of night, Tatl spoke.

"Listen. Thanks for saving me, but I didn't need your help. I'm big enough to take care of myself."

Link blinked. She's said something similar that morning, under only a slightly less ludicrous scenario.

She pressed on, "But look, since you're already here and all, maybe you can help me. I'm trying to find my brother Tael; that stupid boy in the skull shirt told him that he saw something in the forest, and they ran off to see it without telling anybody where they went. I tried to follow them, but they were running too fast and I got lo– I mean, _they_ got lost in the dark, and now I don't know where they went."

Her cheeks flared pink at her slip up, but it only served to make her scowl even harder, as if daring the feral wolf in front of her to call her bluff. When Link didn't answer right away, she stomped her foot and huffed, putting her hands on her hips and demanding, "Well?! Are you gonna help me or not?!"

The sheer insanity of the situation seemed to crash down on Link then; not the bit about him being a wolf, but the part that pertained to her. There she was , a lost little girl, alone in the woods in the middle of the night, who was nearly devoured by nightmares-turned-real only to be saved by a the appearance of a wild animal, and the first thing she does is begin making demands of it. Like it was a person. Worse, like that person was her servant. As if an animal would even know what she was saying! Never mind that he was actually human and did understand her; she had no way of knowing that! Barring some sort of mental disorder, Link could only assume that she was either delusional due to her traumatic experience, or else had watched one too many Disney movies. Either way, it was time to bring her back to reality before she tried talking to something that actually was dangerous, like a bear.

Gathering himself, Link threw on the most threatening look he could muster; hair on end, legs spread, body lowered, teeth bared, eyes narrowed, and saliva dripping from his mouth as he let loose the beginnings of a vicious snarl. Hey, if you have to play the bad guy to teach a little kid a life-lesson, you may as well go all the way.

He expected her to scream and run; he'd 'chase' her through the woods, keeping a watch out for any real dangers, and shepherd her until he could find someone who would actually help, and then he'd get back to his search for the Sacred Grove.

The sharp rap he received on his head instead was so unexpected that he cut off his growl with a shrill yelp and flopped on the ground, covering his head with his paws to ward off any other blows.

"Bad puppy!" Tatl scolded crossly, frowning down at him. "You can't scare me away, so don't even think about it! I'd just get lost and you'd have to come rescue me again, so nyeh!" She stuck her tongue out at him mockingly. How did she know he was thinking that?!

"Besides, I know what you're doing out here. I know you're looking for that dumb sword!"

Oh, for the love of…! Link's tolerance for surprises for the day was already at its limit. So the lost little orphan girl was also apparently on to the fact that he was the Hero of Time off on a quest for the sacred Blade of Evil's Bane. Sure? Why not? Anybody else wanna pop outta the woodwork and play a part? Granny Hero?

"Listen," Tatl said in a stern, no-nonsense tone that sounded odd in that adolescent voice. "Let's just work together for now, ok? I can take you where you need to go. You can help me find my baby brother, and I'll help you find the sword-thingy you need. We gotta deal?"

_What happened to being able to take care of yourself?_ Link thought, shooting the girl what he assumed was a wry look. She didn't answer; apparently her powers of wolf-telepathy were selective…

Well… He might as well. Best case scenario, she's somehow telling the truth, gets him to the grove, they find her wayward little brother, and he can add protecting orphans lost in the woods to his ever-growing resume of heroic deeds. Worst-case scenario, he's lost wandering the woods with an obnoxious little girl. At least taking her with him didn't diminish his chances of completing his goal and removed the guilt he'd feel for abandoning her. Who knew when more of those monsters would pop up?

He could almost hear Midna's mocking laughter, teasing him about stupid boys and the 'Dulcinea Effect'. Did that still count when it was a child?

Rising up to a sitting position, Link met the little girl's façade of false-bravado for a moment before nodding his head. Let's just get this over with…

A look of gleeful triumph flashed across the girl's face and, giggling, she suddenly darted around to his backside and leapt up on his shoulders, causing him to stumble forward.

Seizing his fur in her hands like reigns, she tightened her legs around his midsection and, riding him like a horse, declared valiantly, "Okay! Let's go, puppy!"

Wincing at the pain of getting his hair ripped out by grubby child fingers, Link discarded his initial impulse to buck her back onto the ground. Sure, she could have at least asked before demeaning him like this, but it _was_ the more sensible option. If he made her walk, the trip would take ages; she'd likely trip and fall a half-dozen times in the darkness, and they'd have to stop to take multiple breaks for her to regain her strength. Being the glorified pack mule to a spoiled, stuck-up brat was the lesser of two evils. But still… As he started off at a slow trot, picking his way carefully through the bushes, he had to wonder if the other heroes of legend were ever treated so unjustly…

* * *

Hiding her fatigue with practiced indifference, Nabooru, Vice-Principal of Ordon High, continued her patrol down the third-floor hallway of Castleton's Stock-Pot Inn.

She'd just relieved Syrup of her duty; the older woman lacked her physical constitution and would be utterly useless in her duties tomorrow if she didn't get any rest. That is, if the field trip even continued tomorrow. At the rate things were going, she highly doubted it. She hadn't been contacted by Auru yet; the older man was clearly frazzled by the sudden arrest of Mr. Hero and was letting his fondness for the boy interfere with his duty as chaperone, but Nabooru could forgive him that. All of the chaperones were shaken; all except for Nabooru. She was more resilient of spirit, she supposed.

Still, the idea that Mr. Hero could have stolen anything was absolutely ludicrous; the boy was devoid of any such inclinations. She could attest to that personally. She considered herself an excellent judge of character. In all likelihood, the matter would be cleared up shortly. Auru had asked that they wait to inform Hero's grandmother and Principal Oshus until he called her from the station, hoping that he'd have better news to tell them. She was considering changing her mind if he waited too much longer to call.

From behind her, she heard the unmistakable sound of hurried footsteps.

Turning around sharply, she examined the empty corridor behind her. It was late, and all students ought to be in their bedrooms. If any of them thought it'd be funny to break that now, they were in for a rude awakening…

Seeing nothing and wondering if maybe she'd simply imagined the sound, she almost turned back to continue on her patrol, but she noticed what looked like maybe a shoe peeking out from around the corner of an intersecting hallway.

Throwing on her best no-nonsense face, the one Oshus said scared the children, Nabooru marched determinedly down the hall toward the person, ready to pounce and rain down all of her fury on the would-be curfew-breaker.

Opening her mouth, she turned the corner to face the figure, and the world went black.

* * *

_Aaaaand there you have it, folks! Chapter 5. This marks the ending of Act 1- Intro. Act 2 starts next- Trials, and that's where the fun _really_ starts. _

_You guys catch the joke I made? Lemme know in a review, and tell me how the story's going so far. Only four chapters and already we're nearly at 100 reviews; that's kickin', y'all. I never thought the sequel would be as popular as it's been so far. You guys are amazing. And sorry I haven't been responding to many of the reviews; I don't like typing on my phone, but that's really no excuse. I'll try to do better. _

_Whelp, that's all for today, folks. Happy birthday to me! (...in a week!) I'm off to watch Hook in honor of Robin Williams; for those who don't know, he was a hard-core Zelda fan like us. So much so, he named his daughter Zelda. True story. I'm sure our fandom mourns his loss. _

_Bangarang, Robin. _

_And Keep it Zesty, guys. _

ZC


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